Fatherhood, Formula, and Other F Words
by anhanninen
Summary: *REPOST* When man-whore, foul-mouthed Edward's life takes an unexpected turn, he's left with a baby to raise. With the help of a friendly neighbor, he learns sometimes the unexpected could be the best thing that's ever happened. All Human
1. Chapter 1

Originally published in like, 2012, I think. Nothin' new and I still don't own Twilight.

 **Fatherhood, Formula, and Other F Words**

 **ANHanninen**

 **Chapter 1: Famous Last Words**

If you asked me what my favorite thing in the world was, I'd tell you it was under me. She was hot, good in bed, and didn't seem like the commitment type. Good for me and good for her. I wasn't going to get attached. I had my whole damn life ahead of me. Residency was over — thank the fucking Lord — and I was about to begin my career as a surgeon. Like I said, I had my whole life ahead of me. And from this angle, it looked pretty fucking bright.

Chicks had a thing for doctors; it wasn't a secret. I learned that fact my third year in med school. The scrubs, lab coat, fuck, the stethoscope… it all just beckoned them. They flocked to me, and dear God, I loved it. Like her, the girl under me. She wanted me for my profession. Her first words were, and I'm fucking quoting here: "Let's play doctor". Hell yeah, baby. We'll play doctor. We'll play doctor all fucking night.

The chick was good. Her mouth was fucking great. Trust me. I found that out quickly. Still, I'd never see her again, and that was A-OK with me. She was good, but she wasn't _that_ good.

"Oh, doctor!" she screamed out as I pounded into her.

"Yeah, baby. You like that?" I whispered huskily in her ear.

"Mmm, yes!"

It didn't take long for me to blow my load. It felt fucking amazing. I passed out next to the chick, praying she'd be gone by the time I woke up. Thankfully, I was right. I didn't see her again. . . .

. . . . .

Months passed and life was great. After finishing my residency in New York, my father offered me a job at his hospital in Port Angeles, Washington, my home town. Truthfully, I had it easy. I mean, I worked hard in school, but not many other surgeons had a cushy job just waiting for them like I did. I was my father's son, though. He had talented hands, and by some miracle, they were passed down to me. I did prove my skill over and over. If I wasn't a good surgeon, I had no doubt my father would be the first one to tell me. Before he officially hired me, he came to New York to observe my work. Apparently, he was impressed — even told me so.

"So, drinks tonight?" Jasper, my best friend, asked as I filled in a chart.

I had known Jasper since we were six. We grew up together along with Emmett. Truthfully, they were the best friends a guy could have. Nowadays, though, it was mostly just Jasper and me. Emmett was married — to my sister of all people — and just had a kid. I was happy for him. He knew what he wanted in life — the beautiful wife, nice house, great job, and kids. He was achieving his dreams. Jasper wanted similar things to Emmett, though he'd never outright say it. After we graduated high school — Emmett two years ahead of us — Jasper went to Seattle and earned his Bachelor of Science in nursing while I headed to New York for pre-med and medical school. When I had moved back about ten months ago, Jasper and Emmett were already working here at Olympic Medical Center. Emmett was a general surgeon like me, and Jasper was an ICU nurse. I guess all of us growing up around my father rubbed off somehow.

At twelve-years-old, I knew I wanted to be a doctor, just like my dad. He was brilliant. Everyone respected him, and he saved lives. There wasn't a more honorable career choice. Saving lives . . . that was what I wanted to do. The human body fascinated me to no end. Biology was my favorite subject. I was probably the happiest kid in class the day I held a scalpel for the first time to dissect a frog. It just felt . . . right in my hand. That was all I wanted. Kids . . . I wasn't good with, which was why I nearly killed myself during my peds rotation. As for a wife, I enjoyed the benefits of not being tied down. I didn't trust myself to be with one woman for the rest of my life, and I certainly didn't want to be a cheating bastard. Not getting married was perfect for me.

"Yeah, but I have to work first thing tomorrow, so I can't stay out too late," I told him.

"So you'll stay out long enough to get a chick and split?" he laughed, shaking his head. "Any way you can put your dick away for a while and just have drinks with me?"

"Sure, Jazz. I think my dick can go a night without a pussy wrapped around it."

"Vulgar."

I laughed and closed the chart, tucking my pen into my lab coat pocket. "Clock out, and let's go."

I ran into the locker room to change as soon as seven o'clock passed. With my ass only covered by the boxer-briefs, my father decided now was the time to _talk_. Just fucking great.

"I need you to stay and cover the ER," he said, fixing his own tie.

"You're fucking joking, right?" I asked.

He shook his head with a grimace. "Emmett called out. Ben is sick, and he needs to stay with him. Please, Edward, just stay tonight? Emmett will cover your shift tomorrow."

"The kid probably has a cold. He doesn't need a surgeon staying with him. He has his mother."

He sighed. "Rosalie is taking him to the pediatrician tomorrow. He's been sick a lot lately, and Emmett is concerned. This is your nephew we're talking about."

"Why don't you go stay with him then, huh? He's your grandson."

"Your mother and I have plans."

"I have plans."

"Getting wasted and winding up in bed with a stranger isn't much of a plan, son."

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my scrubs off the ground. "Fine, but this goes down as overtime, and I'm not working tomorrow. When seven o'clock rolls around, Emmett's ass better be here with bells on."

"Language, Edward. And thank you."

"Yeah, sure."

After bailing on Jasper and promising for tomorrow night, I got ready for another twelve hours by drinking a shitload of coffee. Thankfully, the night wasn't an entire bust. A car accident came through my ER doors and left me quite happy, elbows deep in blood and guts. The patient pulled through, which put a good old grin on my face. A save was nice, even more so considering it was a teenager. Saving anyone's life was rewarding, but when the patient was young and had his whole life ahead of him, ensuring he'd get to see adulthood felt pretty fucking great. It even put a skip in my tired ass step.

Aside from a few consults, none of which required surgery, I spent the rest of the night in the call room, sleeping on and off. The night shift wasn't entirely horrible, I guess.

. . . . .

As I walked up to my apartment the next morning, I noticed a woman in the hallway. She must have been the new neighbor I had heard about. She was small with long brown hair. When she lifted her face to meet mine, I stared into her eyes. They were huge and brown . . . nice, I guess. She looked so damned confused, with a box by her feet, as she tried to unlock her apartment door.

"I think that door sticks," I said. "The old neighbors would have to hit it sometimes. I figured building management would have fixed it."

"Oh, um, thanks?" Did she seriously put that in question form? Odd. "I'm Bella."

"Edward. I'll see you around," I said, unlocking my door and going in.

I realized I probably should have offered help or something. It would have been polite. After tossing my bag on the counter, I went back out to ask if she needed help, wanting to act neighborly or some shit, but she was already in the apartment. I shrugged and went back inside to get another few hours of sleep.

I saw New Girl again when I went out for my jog a few hours later. She was pulling clothes out of the passenger side of her old ass truck. Seriously, that shit was ancient. I didn't realize people actually drove those things anymore. It looked like it belonged in a junkyard or on the front lawn of a redneck. As she shut the door with her foot, her body tipped forward and she was sprawled out on the ground.

Well, fuck.

"Are you all right?" I asked, leaning down and picking up the clothes she dropped.

She sat up and looked at me. Her cheeks were as red as could be. "Yeah . . . thank you," she said, pulling herself up from the ground, using her truck door. She put her foot down and limped.

"You don't seem all right," I commented.

"I just twisted it. It's fine."

I nodded. "Okay, then . . . you should ice and rest it just in case, to prevent swelling."

She looked like a deer in the headlights. "Okay."

"Okay," I sighed, leaving her to her awkwardness. "Bye."

"B-bye."

Clumsy, awkward, New Girl was weird. I let her be and started jogging, putting her out of my mind. I had more important things to worry about . . . like drinks tonight with Jasper. I already knew I wasn't going to keeping that promise about putting my dick away. I was a horny bastard and not afraid to admit it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Familiar Acquaintance**

I was probably having one of the worst days of my life, and I could only pray it would get better. My morning started out shitty because the chick wasn't gone. She was in my kitchen. . . fucking it up by making eggs. Shitty eggs, too. I wasn't sure she even knew how to cook. I wound up biting into part of a shell. It only got worse when I got to work twenty minutes late because I had to clean the mess. My father was on me the second I signed in.

"You haven't spoken to your mother in over a week," he said. "She said she tried to call."

"I've been busy. I'll call this weekend."

"Son, she's making dinner tonight. You're coming."

I cocked my head. "I am?"

"You are." He smiled. "It'll make her happy."

I sighed. My mother was too sweet to deny happiness to. "What time?"

"You get off at seven, yes?"

He knew my schedule. "Yeah."

"Then be there around seven-thirty. Thank you, son. She really does miss you."

"I just saw her a few weeks ago."

"And you were gone for twelve years. She has you home now, so she just wants to spend some time with you. You're her baby boy." He chuckled as he walked away.

Dinner with my parents wasn't the worst thing. I had plans with my TV and couch tonight, so it wasn't ideal, but I'd live. No, my day really got fucking terrible when I lost a patient on my table. There was nothing I could ever hate more than losing a patient, even if I tried all I could. Fucking hated it. I spent the rest of the morning wallowing in guilt.

"Blood work results you wanted," Jasper said, tossing them on the counter beside me. "I'm a nurse, you know, not your errand boy."

I looked up and his face showed he wasn't fucking around. Just great. Now my best friend was mad at me. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to know if there was something I missed. I know you're not an errand boy. We've been friends since we were six. I wasn't trying to use you."

His face softened. "Good. And I'm sorry about your patient. Drinks tonight?"

I shook my head. "Dinner with my parents. Tomorrow night, though, okay?"

"Sounds good. Do you at least want to go get coffee? I'm taking a break."

"Yeah, that sounds good. Let me just read this first."

He nodded and left me alone with the folder. Just as I suspected, I hadn't miss anything. It was a bad case from the get-go. Still, I was at my limit for shitty things that could happen to me in one day.

. . . . .

The day seemed to be looking up after coffee. I had a successful surgery, which made me feel a little better. After that, a nurse brought me a cupcake. She sat it down with a smile, and then walked away, shaking her ass just for me. I was highly considering breaking my 'no fucking nurses' rule. I was burned once, so I had banned it, but this one. . . this one I kinda liked.

"She just wants to say she's fucked you," Jasper said, taking my damn cupcake. "I wouldn't touch her with a ten foot pole."

"I wasn't going to touch her with a ten foot pole." I smirked, snatching it back from him and licking the icing.

"You're sick and you have a problem."

"But I'm happy. Are you happy, Jazz? I can play wingman tomorrow night."

"No, thank you," he laughed. "I just met someone, actually."

"Do tell."

"Her name's Alice, and she's a teacher. She's different, but in a good way."

"Different is. . . good."

"We went out on a date last Friday. I'm taking her out again this Friday."

"Do I get to meet her?"

"Hell no. She'll be scared off if she finds out I keep friends like you."

"What's wrong with me?"

"You think with your dick half the time. Plus, you're an asshole."

"That's a little. . . rude. I don't think with my dick. I do have brains, you know. I went to medical school — a good one, too."

He laughed. "So you deny the dick thing, but not the asshole thing?"

I shrugged. "That may be true sometimes. But I wouldn't be an asshole to her. If you care about her, I should get to know her."

"I need her to like me enough to put up with you. Maybe some other time, all right?"

"Fine. But I have to ask, are you hiding her from me because she looks like an animal or some shit? You can tell me the truth."

"Fuck you. She's beautiful."

I laughed. "I had to ask."

" _I_ have to get back to work. Maybe you should try it. Don't you have post-ops to check on?"

"Yes. After I finish eating my cupcake," I said, biting into the deliciousness.

Cupcakes from hot nurses were definitely an awesome perk of working here. I decided I should get as many baked goods as I could out of her before deciding whether or not to screw her. I was thinking no, but I'd let the cupcakes decide if she was worthy of me breaking my rule.

. . . . .

I got out of the hospital right on time. That was good since disappointing my mother was something I certainly didn't want to do. When I got out to my car, Tanya, I petted her dashboard like usual. My baby was a graduation present. She was a beautiful, black, Porsche Cayman S, and she had a very special place in my heart. My kind of lady, let's just say.

The drive to my parent's house didn't take too long. My mom had a thing for mother nature, so the massive house was just outside of town in the woods. Honestly, it seemed like it had more windows than actual walls to see everything surrounding it.

As soon as I walked through the door, Mom had me in a steel grip. Obviously, a week with no phone calls was too long. I watched my dad walk into the foyer with a smug grin. Mom still wouldn't let go, so I basically had to pry her off of me.

She stood on her toes and kissed my cheek like usual. "A week is not okay with me, mister," she said, jabbing her finger into my chest.

"Sorry, Mom."

She smiled and took my hand. "I forgive you, but you're making it up to me. I need some help with the garden this weekend. You will be here on Sunday."

I sighed. Gardening fucking sucked, but I'd do it for her. My secret downfall was my mom. I reverted back to my teenage, sweet Momma's boy around her. Every. Fucking. Time. "Okay, what time do you want me here?"

"Nine in the morning."

Mom led me into the dining room where Rosalie was with Ben — my eleven month old nephew. Rosalie had him in her lap as they played with some red ball. He was grabbing it from her hand. It was a recent achievement. Honestly, I didn't see the big deal.

"So the kid's feeling better?" I asked, sitting down across the table from her.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Edward, Ben is feeling better. I am so sorry his illness caused you to have to work a double. Boo-hoo."

"Jeez, I was just asking. No need to be bitchy."

"Edward," Dad warned. "Language."

"Sorry," I mumbled. "But she started it."

"You are a thirty-year-old man," Rosalie said. "And yet you act like an insolent child."

"I am twenty-nine, thank you very much."

"For what? Two more months? Aww, are you getting worried about hitting thirty?" she laughed.

"Only if I age like you did. You have a wrinkle there, sis."

"Do not, asshole."

"Enough," Mom said, walking in with the roast. "I will not have that language from either of you in my house. Act like the adults you are and not the children you were."

"Sorry, Mom," I said.

"I'm sorry," Rosalie said.

"Good, now let's eat. It's so good to have both of my children and my grandchild here for dinner." Mom smiled. "I just wish Emmett were here, too."

"Me too," Rosalie said. "But Dad keeps giving him nightshifts."

"We have a schedule," Dad said. "Everyone takes turns, and you know that, Rose. He's on call this week. Like Edward will be next week."

"When are you on-call, Dad?" I asked.

"Remember all those little-league games I missed when you were little? Then. Besides, I'm the boss." He grinned. "I can do what I want."

"Personally, I think Eddie-boy should be on-call more," Rosalie said. "Unlike Emmett, he doesn't have a family that needs him."

"Don't call me that," I said. "And I have a life, too. Mine is actually quite fun."

"I bet it won't be as fun when you get herpes from one of your whores."

"Rosalie," Mom said. "That was uncalled for. Even though we don't agree with what Edward does, it's his life and his choice to do with what he wants. He'll be the one to suffer the consequences."

"Wow, thanks," I said. "And they're not whores, Rosalie."

She laughed. "Call them what you want, but if they're sleeping with _you_ , I'd call them whores."

"Stop it. . . now," Dad said. "And to get us off this topic, your mother and I have some good news." He smiled, taking Mom's hand on the table. "Would you like to tell them, darling?"

"Sure." She grinned. "We're getting remarried!"

"That's great!" Rosalie said. "When?"

"This summer. You're father came up with the idea for our anniversary. I can't believe it's been forty years," she sighed peacefully. "Seems like just yesterday."

"It does, my love," Dad said, kissing her softly.

"Congratulations," I said.

"Thank you, honey," Mom said. "We're very excited. Now, Rosalie, I'll need help with planning. Think you're up to it?"

. . . . .

After dinner, I didn't stay long. Dad and I had a glass of Brandy and talked a little about work before I left. I still had that date with my couch and TV. After saying goodnight to Tanya, I made my way up to my apartment. As I unlocked the door, New Girl's door opened, and she bolted out.

"Oh, good! You're home. You uh. . . had a visitor, and since I didn't want her waiting in the hall, I invited her in," she said. "Please, don't be mad."

I cocked my head. "Visitor? Why would I be mad?"

"I didn't know what she wanted, but I think you'll be happy," she said. "Maybe."

A woman I vaguely recognized came waltzing out of New Girl's apartment. I couldn't quite place her, but I knew her somehow. She smiled, switching the car seat she was carrying to the other hand.

"Long time no see, Edward," she said. "Remember me?"

"I'm gonna. . . yeah, I'll go," New Girl said, rushing back into her apartment and closing the door.

"Um. . . yeah, you're. . ." I said, completely spacing on her name.

"Kate." She scowled. "I'm Kate. We had sex the night you were celebrating finishing your residency. Remember me now?"

Chick that wanted to play doctor. "Yeah, sorry. What. . . what do you need?" I said, looking at the car seat with a blanket over it.

Please, fuck no.

"I have great news." Somehow, I seriously doubted I'd find it that great. "You're a daddy!"

And that was how my shitty day got more shitty than even I could imagine. My dick wasn't so fabulous in that moment.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: First Comes Baby**

I rushed Kate and the baby — who apparently was mine — into my apartment after snapping out of my shock. There was just no possible way she was telling the truth. I was careful. I was always careful. The kid couldn't be mine.

"It wasn't easy to find you," Kate said, sitting on my couch as she set the car seat on the floor. "I didn't realize you were leaving New York."

"We barely spoke. Why would I tell you about my life?" I asked, sitting down and putting my face in my hands. "What do you want?"

"Her name is Sofia. I thought it was cute."

I lifted my head. "Her?"

She nodded. "Yes, you have a daughter."

"How old is she?"

"Nine weeks."

I started counting . . . I had sex with her roughly ten and a half months ago. I finished my residency in early June and it was now April. That would mean the baby would be around four to five weeks, not nine. I swear to God, it was an "ah-ha" moment.

"She's not mine," I said, smiling triumphantly.

"She was four weeks early. She's yours."

Fuck. "What do you want?"

"It's more what I don't want. I don't want her. I tried it, thinking I could do it if I loved her, but I don't. She's nothing more than any other baby to me, which means she's your problem now," she said, standing up. "Her birth certificate is in her diaper bag, along with everything else that's probably important."

I stood up and grabbed her arm. "What the hell is wrong with you? Leaving your child in a stranger's apartment? She's probably not even mine!"

"Get a paternity test for all I care. She's yours. I'm positive of it."

"Like you were seriously an innocent virgin when we fucked."

She laughed. "Well, no, but I know who I've been with, unlike you. Look at her hair, Edward. She's clearly yours."

"What kind of mother are you?"

"That's just it. I'm not a mother. I'm twenty-two-years-old, and I can't do this. I figured I'd give you the chance before giving her up for adoption. If you don't want her either, give her up. I'll sign whatever you need me to," she said as her eyes filled with tears. "I'm not really a horrible person, you know? I wanted to love her. I spent my pregnancy trying to love the thing that was growing inside of me, but I never did. When I saw her for the first time, it was like I didn't even give birth to her. I am not ready for this, and I don't want to be a mom to a baby that I don't love. _That_ would be a horrible person."

"You could be suffering from post-partum depression," I said. "You just need to get some help, Kate. I'll . . . get you some help. I still have connections in New York."

Yeah, I didn't know where the fuck that came from.

She shook her head and wiped her eyes. "I don't want help, and that's not it. I'm fine. I just can't raise her. I can't give her a good life. I'm a college student, Edward, and I had to miss an entire semester because of her. I resent her, so I'm no good for her. Maybe you can be good for her."

"I . . . I can't be a father. I don't even like kids."

"Well, maybe you can like her. I'm sorry, Edward," she said, grabbing her purse and rushing out of my apartment before I could stop her.

I was left, in shock, standing in the middle of my living room. I had no fucking clue what the hell was going on. There was a baby in my apartment. I was alone with a child. My child, apparently. Suddenly, shit got real when she started wailing. Dear, God, what the fuck was I supposed to do?

I rushed over and kneeled down in front of the car seat. I lifted the blanket and was met with a red faced baby in a pink hat. My hand hovered over her, having no clue what it was supposed to do.

"Shh," I said, moving my other hand to the top of it and rocking her gently. "Please, stop crying."

She kept wailing. I went for the buckle and unfastened her, and then gently picked her up, supporting her little head. Jesus, she was _tiny_. Were all babies this tiny? It just didn't seem right. I had been around babies before. I was a doctor, after all. I didn't escape medical school and residency without having to deliver and treat them. Plus, I did spend _some_ time with my nephew. She just seemed . . . small. I pulled her to my chest and began swaying. Honestly, I was fucking swaying.

"Shh, Little One," I murmured. "Just stop crying for me."

Why wasn't she stopping? Minutes passed, and she was _still_ crying. Time kept passing, and she wasn't stopping. I was getting fucking worried. She probably missed her mom or something. But her mom was _long_ gone.

"What do you want?" I asked. "Are you hungry? Shit . . . do you need to be changed?" I sniffed the air and didn't smell anything. "Maybe you're hungry, but I don't know how to feed you."

I lifted the stuffed diaper bag off the ground and set it on the couch. I put her down next to it, placing a pillow on each side of her just to be safe. She couldn't roll yet, right? Either way, I wanted to be safe.

I found empty bottles in the bag, as well as a container of that formula shit. I was so fucking clueless as to what I was supposed to do. I needed . . . I needed my mom. She knew this shit. She'd know what I was supposed to do.

"Hold on, Sofia. I know someone who knows how to help you. Just . . . hold on, Little One," I said, pulling my phone out.

The phone rang and rang. It wasn't _that_ late, so why weren't they picking up? Fucking-A. The call went to voicemail, so I decided to call my dad's phone. He always answered it. He had to. It rang three times before his voice answered.

"Son? Is everything all right?" he asked, a bit out of breathe.

"No, everything is not _all right_ ," I snapped. "I need Mom, and now."

"Hold your horses." Did he seriously just fucking say that? I was panicking, for Christ's sake. "What's wrong? And do I hear a _baby_ crying?"

"Yes, you hear a baby crying. I need Mom to come over right now. I . . . I fucked up."

I heard the phone shuffle around. "Edward, what's this about a baby?" Mom asked.

"There's something wrong with her. Please, Mom, help me?"

Damn it, I was fucking begging.

"Her? Who is _her_ , Edward?"

"Apparently, my kid."

How hard was it to understand that there was a baby, and she wouldn't stop crying?

Mom gasped loudly before I heard the phone fall to the floor with a thud.

"Edward, are you still there?" Dad asked.

"Yes, now please, I need you both. Do you hear her? I think she's hungry, but I don't know what the hell I'm doing. Help me, Dad."

"We're on our way, son. Just rock her until we get there. Do you have formula?"

"Yeah, there's some in the diaper bag with bottles."

"Good. Wrap her tight in a blanket and hold her close to you. Be . . . soothing."

"Me? You want me to be fucking soothing? I just had a chick drop a baby off with me. I'm not in the mood to be soothing!"

"Well, figure it out," he said. "And watch your language around that child. I don't care how old she is. You need to stop."

I bit my tongue. "Okay. Please, hurry."

"We're on our way. We love you, Edward. We'll figure this out."

. . . . .

I grabbed the blanket off of the floor and laid it out on the couch. I picked the still wailing baby up and laid her down again, recalling how the fuck to swaddle a child. I was horrible at it. I wrapped her up as best I could and picked her back up, holding her close to me.

"It's all right, Little One," I said softly, swaying again. "Help is on the way, okay?

Her wails seemed to die down. I looked at her, and she opened her eyes. She had _huge_ bluish-grey eyes, like most babies. There was something about them, though.

"Hey, that's a good girl. Thank you," I told her as she stared at me, silent. I kept rocking gently. "You can be a good baby, right?"

She squirmed a little in my arms, burying her face into my chest. I was just thankful the crying had stopped. I kept thinking about the fact that there was a very good possibility she was my kid. What the fuck was I going to do with a baby? It wasn't like I could abandon her. Her mother already did that. And what if she wasn't my kid? Then what? Hand her over for social services and say her mom just left her in my apartment? Shit was too confusing right now. I took a few deep breathes and kept swaying, calming me and her down.

Thankfully, my parents arrived pretty quickly. I walked to the door, with a once again crying infant in my arms, and opened it. Their eyes instantly went to the bundle in my arms.

"I seriously fucked up," I said.

"Let me have her, Edward," Mom said, holding her arms out for Sofia once they were in the apartment.

I gently passed the little one to her. It seemed she liked my mom. Her crying stopped much faster when she was in Mom's arms. Dad looked at me, wide-eyed, and somewhat horrified.

"Tell me what happened," he said, sitting down on the couch as Mom went through the diaper bag.

"I slept with her mother back in New York. She didn't want her, so she decided to give me a chance, I guess. I don't know, Dad. It all seemed to happen so quickly. She just left her here."

"Her name is Sofia, Carlisle," Mom said, reading the birth certificate. "Sofia Anne Cullen. Aww, she has our last name! She was born on February third, so she's two months old."

"Son, is that possible?" Dad asked.

"Only if she were born early like her mom said. If she had gotten pregnant from me and had a normal pregnancy, the baby should only be four to five weeks old," I said.

He nodded. "So she may not be yours. What do you think? Do you think she's yours?"

I shrugged. "How am I supposed to know that?"

"She has his nose!" Mom announced. "Oh! And his hair."

"How do you think she has my nose? It's . . . tiny."

"Edward, I remember your nose as a baby. She has the same, cute, button one," she said, touching the little girl's nose and smiling. "I'm going to go get her a bottle ready. Carlisle, will you take her?"

"Of course, darling," Dad said, holding his arms out for the baby.

He made it look so simple. They both did. I felt like I was about to break her when I touched her. She didn't even make a sound as he rocked her gently. What the fuck? Apparently, my parents were the baby whisperers.

"I take it you'll want a paternity test?" Dad asked.

"Well, I think I should, right?" I asked. "That's what most people would do in this situation, yeah?"

"And then what, son? You do realize, if she's yours, you have a responsibility to her, right? You did this. You created her."

"What am I supposed to do with a baby?" I whispered, putting my head in my hands. "God, what did I do?"

"You know, I do have to agree with your mother. She does remind me of you." I looked up to find him smiling at her. "Aren't you just precious? A little small, though."

"Right? That's what I thought. She's too small."

He shook his head. "I didn't say too small. She's just on the smaller side. It would support the fact that she was a month early."

"You think she's . . . okay, though?"

"She seems just fine, son." He smiled. "You're just fine, aren't you, precious?"

I was pretty sure my father was going gaga over the little one. I'd seen him this way with Ben, but it was a little strange. We didn't even know if the girl was mine. And yet, here he was, talking to her softly and rocking her.

When Mom came back in with the formula, she sat down next to Dad and set the bottle down, putting one of my dishtowels over her shoulder. Dad passed her the little girl. I watched carefully, maybe a bit too closely, as Sofia drank from the bottle she fed her.

"How uh . . . how did you make that?" I asked.

Mom looked up and smiled. "I can show you. It's very simple. You boil the water, let it cool to room temperature, add it to a bottle, and then add the formula powder. Shake it to mix it all together, and then test the temperature on your wrist."

Why did that seem like she was speaking a different language? I mean, it seemed simple in theory, but actually doing it? I just . . . I'd probably add too much water or some shit and hurt the little girl. Yeah, that'd be great. I'd water down the formula and take away all the nutrients she needed.

"Oh, she's such a good girl," Mom cooed. Swear to God, _cooed._ "All done, sweetie?"

"Did she drink it all?" I asked.

"She took about four ounces, which is perfectly normal for a two month old," she said, starting to burp the little one.

"Son," Dad said, "have you thought about what you're going to do?"

I sighed. "Get a paternity test done and go from there, I guess. What else is there to do?"

He nodded. "Take the next few days off of work, but come in tomorrow morning and we'll take swabs. After that, we'll talk to a lawyer. Right now, your name isn't on the birth certificate, so we'll have to fix that."

"She's going to need something to sleep in," Mom said. "I'll run to Wal-Mart and get a portable crib and other necessities. We'll get permanent stuff soon. Oh, and you'll need to borrow my SUV. You can't put her in your Porsche."

"She might not be mine," I said. "And even if she is, it's not like I can take care of her."

"Edward," she scolded. "She's yours. Trust me; I know. And you will be taking responsibility for her, young man."

The fierce look in her eyes scared the shit out of me. Again, what the fuck was I supposed to do with a baby?

"Your mother is right, son," Dad said. "It's time for you to grow up . . . Though I wish you weren't forced to like this, it's about time."

"Hold her, Edward," Mom said, standing up and placing the little girl back in my arms. "We'll be back as soon as we can."

"We? Dad, you're leaving me alone with her?"

He rolled his eyes. "You're going to have to get used to it. Might as well be now."

They were throwing me to the sharks — the shark being a damn baby. Fuck my life.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Friendly Neighbor**

Once again, I was alone with the little one. Thankfully, she was silent, but she was looking at me. Her huge eyes seemed to glare right through me. It was . . . unnerving. I tried rocking her to get her to go to sleep, but she'd just blink and open her eyes right back up. I tried smiling, for some insane fucking reason, but her facial expression didn't change, and her eyes didn't move.

"Those were my parents," I told her.

I was talking to a baby . . . What the fuck was wrong with me?

"I think they both like you, which I mean, if you're mine, that's a good thing," I said. "I'm going to be honest here. I have no clue what to do with you. I'm not a . . . kid person. I love my nephew and all, and I'm really happy for my sister, but I just don't . . . do well with babies."

She started to blink more, leaving her eyes closed for longer periods of time. I was seriously praying she was going to sleep.

"I really never planned on having kids, so you're a bit of a fucking shock," I said. "Sorry. I guess I shouldn't say that to you — the F word, I mean. It's not like you understand it, though. Still, I should probably try to stop. My dad's already gotten pissed about it."

More slow blinking. Maybe my voice was putting her to sleep. Great. I just had to keep talking.

"I know you don't understand what I'm saying, and I'm okay with that. It's probably for the best you don't know what's happened tonight. I do feel sorry for you, you know? Being given away like that . . . that's pretty shitty."

Her eyes had stayed closed now. Her small lips were separated just slightly. She was asleep! Fuck yeah. I gently stood up and laid her back down in the car seat that Mom had put on the coffee table. She didn't make a sound, and I felt like doing a victory dance. As long as she didn't cry, I was fucking thrilled. She just needed to stay asleep until my parents got back. A sleeping baby wasn't hard to deal with.

I pulled all the documents Kate had left for me out of the diaper bag. She had planned this out and left her information to contact her, so I could make it legal that Little One was mine — if that were the case. She even included a copy of the little one's medical records. That was something I could do to keep me busy. I read through everything carefully. Little One was healthy — even being born a little early. She hadn't had her two month inoculations yet, so that needed to be done. If it turned out that she was mine, I'd need to get her into a pediatrician soon. At least that was one thing I knew how to deal with. Everything else I was fucking screwed about.

After a good twenty minutes of peaceful silence, the little one decided to start screaming again. Son of a bitch. I rocked the car seat, but that wasn't helping. Her face was all scrunched up, and she looked like she was in pain.

"Shh, Little One, it's okay," I said. "Do you want me to hold you?"

I picked her back up from the car seat and laid her against my shoulder. I stood up and walked around, but she still screamed. I had a bad feeling about what was making her cry. It made sense. She had just eaten.

"You're wet, aren't you?" I asked.

More screaming.

Someone started knocking on my door, so I rushed to answer, praying it was my parents. I swung it open and found New Girl. The baby had probably woken up the entire apartment complex.

"I'm sorry, but it's not exactly my fault," I said.

"It's okay," she said. "Um . . . I heard people leave and figured you might need some help. You don't exactly seem like a baby person."

"I'm not. Are you?"

"I used to work at a daycare and babysat on weekends when I was younger."

"Do you know how to change a diaper?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Come in."

I moved over so she could walk in, and then shut the door behind her. She looked around, but didn't move much.

"There are diapers, wipes, and some cream shit in the bag," I said, jerking my head to the pink bag on the couch.

"Okay. Can I have her?" she asked, holding her hands out.

"There's a bathroom right through there." I nodded down the hallway. "Can you wash your hands first?"

"Yeah . . . sorry."

I laid the little one down on the couch and unwrapped the blanket before picking her back up and bouncing a little to try and soothe her. Bouncing was soothing, right?

New Girl came back, took the blanket off the couch, and spread it out on the floor. I stood up and laid Sofia down in front of her. Sitting down, I grabbed the bag off the couch and handed it to New Girl.

"Oh, good," she said. "She has another onesie in here."

She pulled out the diaper, wipes, cream, and pink thing before starting to undress the little one. Little One didn't seem too happy with the procedure. She screamed louder and flailed her arms around.

"It's all right, sweetheart," New Girl said, smiling and rubbing Sofia's tummy. "We're going to get you all cleaned up."

"So you know babies?" I asked.

She nodded. "A little. I haven't been around them in a few years, but like I said, when I was younger, I worked at a daycare and would babysit. I don't think you can forget how to change a diaper."

"I've never had to."

She undid the diaper and started cleaning Sofia up. "It's none of my business, but is she yours?"

"You're right. It is none of your business," I said.

"Sorry," she said, looking away from me.

"But since you're saving my ass, I'll tell you. I don't know. She might be."

"Where did her mom go?"

I shrugged. "Probably back to the airport."

"She just left her here?" she asked, looking appalled.

"Yep."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too."

"Um . . . I'm also sorry for inviting her in. I just . . . thought it'd be nice. She just said she was a friend."

I nodded. What the fuck was I supposed to say? "I wish you hadn't because now my life is fucked every which way"? That would have been shitty.

"For what it's worth, I don't see how anyone could part with this little girl. She's so cute," she said, putting the new onesie on the little one. "I probably should have showed you how to do that."

"I watched closely."

"Has she eaten recently?"

"Yeah, my mom gave her a bottle. She and my dad ran to get a portable crib and things babies need."

"That's good," she said, picking the kid up and laying her against her shoulder as she stood up.

"Thank you," I said. "You didn't have to help."

"That's what neighbors are for. If you need any help again, I'm just across the hall."

"That's . . . nice of you."

She smiled, swaying the now calm little one. It seemed Little One liked her, too. So why did she hate me?

"I guess you want to be left alone now, huh?" she asked.

"Do you know an easy way to get her to go to sleep?"

She laughed softly. "You can't exactly make them go to sleep, Edward. But rocking helps. Here, take her."

She passed me Sofia, and the little one instantly started crying again. See? Hated me. "I don't think she likes me much."

"You're just unfamiliar. She doesn't know you."

"She doesn't know you or my parents either."

She shrugged. "She's just in an unfamiliar place. She'll get used to you."

"Yeah, well, thanks again." I smiled.

She bit her lip and nodded. "Bye."

She basically sprinted out of my apartment. What the fuck was up with that? When she was changing the little one's diaper, she was fine, but then she got awkward. Still, it was pretty fucking nice of her to help me. I guess I kind of owed her one after that.

. . . . .

"You stop crying for other people," I told Sofia as I moved around the apartment, trying to soothe her back to sleep. My parents had been gone for almost two hours. "I swear I'm not a bad guy. I'm trying to be soothing and shit."

Her crying was driving me insane. What. The. Hell. I was about to start pulling my hair out. If I was her father, wouldn't she like me? Not this kid.

"I wish you could tell me what you wanted," I sighed. "What kinds of things do babies want? You're fed and changed. Let's look through this diaper bag and try to find something."

I laid her back down in the car seat and I dug through the pockets of the all great and useful diaper bag. Swear to God, it seemed endless of the shit that was stuffed in here. I found little toy things and dangled them in front of her. Nothing. Then I found a pacifier. Fuck yes. I took it into the kitchen to rinse it off before coming back and putting it to her face.

"Do you want this?" I asked, moving it over her lips.

Her screaming stopped, but not the tears. I put it in her mouth, and she started sucking on it. The tears stopped as she sucked contentedly. Score! I wasn't completely clueless, I guess. She just wanted to suck on something.

I sat back on the couch and ran my hands through my hair. The clock said it was almost one in the morning, and I was starting to feel it. I wanted my parents to hurry the fuck up. I'd put her to sleep, and then get some sleep of my own. Tomorrow we'd do the paternity test, and soon after that I'd know if this would be permanent.

It was probably really fucking wrong of me to not want the little one to be mine, but she'd ruin my life. Just one evening with her, and I was about to stick my head in a fucking oven. I couldn't do this. I couldn't have a kid. She'd be fucked up beyond belief if I tried to raise her.

When my parents did finally get back, my eyes bulged. Apparently, a few huge boxes and a shit ton of bags were just "necessities". There was a swing, a bouncer, the portable crib, bags of clothes, diapers, bottles, and more formula. My apartment looked like a fucking zoo of shit when they were done.

"These are _necessities_?" I asked.

"Well, not the swing and bouncer, but she'll like those," Mom said, smiling. "Is she asleep?"

She went around to the other side of the coffee table to look at the little one. She oohed and aahed at the baby.

"Did she give you any issues?" she asked.

"Holy shit, yes," I sighed.

"You need to start watching your language with a baby around," she said. "Now what happened?"

"She was wet."

"You changed her diaper?" She smiled. "All on your own?"

I scoffed. "Yeah, right. My new neighbor came over and helped. She heard the non-stop screaming."

"That was nice of her. Well, this little sweetie looks peaceful now," she said, kissing the little one's forehead.

"About time."

"Go help your father set up the crib in your room. I'll watch her."

"It needs to be in my room? I have a spare bedroom."

She rolled her eyes. "It's going in your room. I didn't find a baby monitor I liked, so you need to be near her until we actually go shopping."

Once the crib was set up, the little one decided to wake up again and cry. Mom just said she was hungry, so she took me into the kitchen and showed me how to make the bottle.

"She took four ounces last time, so we'll try that again," Mom said. "She'll need to eat every few hours. It's been three hours since last time and that's about normal."

"Every three hours?" I asked. "When do I sleep?"

"When she does." She smiled. "You'll get used to it."

"Great," I sighed as she handed me the bottle to test.

It seemed fine to me, but she checked it again. Apparently, I was right. I wasn't a total fail at knowing a good bottle temperature. Go me. We went back into the living room, and I sat down on the couch. Mom passed me the baby and told me to feed her. It was . . . an experience.

All I knew was that I was still fucking clueless and this kid and I were both screwed unless I figured some shit out. I already felt like I needed to kiss my life goodbye. The chances she was my kid were good. In fact, I was pretty sure she was.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Fatherhood for Dummies**

"She's yours, son," Dad said, passing me the paternity test results.

It was clear, written in black and white, that the little one was my daughter. She was mine. My flesh and blood. I didn't want to admit it, but I knew it. There was a feeling that I was connected to her. I know that sounds like bullshit, but it was true. My entire life . . . everything I had planned for myself . . . it was all out the window. I had a kid. I had a fucking kid. A kid that only had me now. I felt pretty fucking terrible for myself, but I felt even worse for Little One. She had _me_ as a dad.

"What do I do?" I whispered, burying my face in my hands, letting the paper fall to the floor.

After three exhausting days, I had to figure out what the next step was, and I was completely clueless.

"You man up and be a father," he said. "We'll help you as much as we can, but she's _your_ daughter. You have to take care of her. She's your priority now."

I shook my head. "I can't fucking do this."

"You don't have a choice. The son _I_ raised is a good person. He's responsible."

"I'm not responsible! I fuck anything that's hot and comes my way in a bar."

"Not anymore you don't."

"It's who I am. It's what I like doing. I can't fucking go to play dates and read bedtime stories to a kid. That's not me."

"Look at that precious girl by your feet," he said, leaning back in his chair. "She depends on you now. Everything you will do affects her in some way."

"Great. So I'm responsible for ruining her life?"

"You're responsible for giving her a good life."

"And if I can't? Then what?"

He took his reading glasses off and set them in front of him. "I believe you can, son. You're life has changed permanently now."

"What if I don't want it to change?"

"Again, you don't have a choice."

"I'm getting a fucking vasectomy," I sighed.

He laughed. "Oh, Edward, if you think you'll have time for sex, you have another think coming."

I sat up and ran my hand through my hair. "It's not funny."

"It's a little funny."

"Not even close. I like sex. I don't like kids."

"They go hand-in-hand, my boy. You should know this. How much money did I spend putting you through medical school for you to forget that sex leads to babies?"

"You know, I realize that's how it happens, but not for me. I'm careful. How the fuck did I manage this?"

He smirked. "Condoms fail?"

"You're kind of pissing me off right now. This is serious shit."

"Watch your language around her. Before you know it, she'll be picking up those words."

I rolled my eyes. "She's two months old. I think I have time."

"Start the process now. It'll be easier."

"Great, I can't have sex or cuss. I am just loving fatherhood already."

"It gets better." He grinned. "You also can't drink."

"What?"

"What if she needs you? You can't exactly help her if you're drunk."

I groaned. "Fan-fucking-tastic."

He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Sorry."

. . . . .

I had a list. An actual list that told me what I needed to do now. Dad wrote it for me. I was so incompetent that he had to write me a fucking list. First thing was the lawyer. I had to make it official and get my name on the little one's birth certificate. Thankfully, the good old family lawyer handled most of it. With the paternity test results, it wasn't hard, but it'd take time. The lawyer contacted Kate, and she signed everything he faxed. At least she was cooperating. The second thing on the list was to get a pediatrician. That was simple enough. I made an appointment for Friday. The third thing was shopping. Fucking shopping.

"Do you really need my input on this?" I asked Mom as we walked through the store.

"Yes, I do. Besides, shopping for a baby is fun!" she said, grinning as she pushed the cart.

The little one was fast asleep in the car seat I carried. I doubted she really fucking cared about what her nursery looked like, but I had to take her everywhere with me. Needless to say, I avoided leaving the house as much as possible lately. She made shit so difficult. It took more time getting her ready to leave than how long it'd take to actually run the errands half the time.

"I don't find this _fun_ , Mom."

"Well, start because this is happening," she said. "Oh, look how cute!"

And that was how the afternoon went. She'd say something was cute, I'd nod, and then she'd decide it wasn't what she wanted. About an hour in, Sofia decided to get back at me by shitting. Would Mom take her to the bathroom and change her? No. That was my job. I loathed shitty diapers. The piss ones I didn't mind so much. But the shitty ones . . . disgusting. I had no issues with sticking my hands in blood and guts, but changing a dirty diaper was nasty. It was everywhere. It never failed that I got it on my hands. After the first time, I came up with the brilliant idea of using medical gloves. I swiped a few boxes when Dad took the swabs for the paternity test. Genius.

"You couldn't wait 'til we got home?" I asked Little One as I laid her down on the changing table.

She just smiled a little, mocking me. Well, probably not. She seemed to smile a lot.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," I said as I pulled on the gloves and got to work.

I was pretty sure her shit stunk worse than mine. She liked to wiggle around, making more of a mess. The child was going to be the death of me. After getting her all changed and making her happy again, we continued with shopping.

"It's been almost a week, Edward," Mom said. "You'll have to tell everyone soon."

"Rosalie is going to have a nice comment about this."

She nodded. "Probably, but don't let her get to you. You know, she could help you. She just went through this with Ben."

"Think she'd want to watch Sofia when I work?"

She laughed. "I highly doubt it. I'll help out as much as I can, but you'll have to find a daycare for her."

"Yeah, but I still have the issue of night shifts."

"I'd say consider a live-in nanny, but your apartment is only two bedrooms. I'll help when I can for night shifts, but you'll need to find an alternative."

I sighed. "Dad wants me back at work next week, so I have until then."

"We'll figure it out. Now, we're having dinner tomorrow night," she said. "You and Sofia are coming. It's time to tell the family."

I was dreading Rosalie. She'd have a field day with this. "How about next week instead?" I asked.

"You can't keep putting it off. Do you know how much I dislike lying to my daughter? Emmett's told her you haven't been at work. She's suspicious."

"Wonderful," I sneered. "But I guess it's time. It's not like I can hide my kid."

"Exactly, and she might surprise you." She smiled.

"Yeah, right."

"It'll be fine," she said. "So I think I've picked a nursery set."

About fucking time.

. . . . .

Little One was fussier than ever. She threw a huge fucking fit as I tried to get her ready to leave for my parents the next day. Apparently, she had the same feelings as me. We had something in common. Good. I wanted to throw a fit of my own.

"Maybe I should forget to bring diapers, so we have a reason to leave early," I said, laying her down in the car seat. "Mom would know I did it on purpose, though, and she'd be pissed."

I had grown a little used to talking to Sofia. I could say anything, and she didn't have an opinion. She'd just lay there and look at me. I didn't have anyone to talk to about this except my parents. I hadn't told Jasper yet. My excuse for being out of work was being ill, which I was sure he wasn't buying. He'd text me every day and ask how I was and when I was coming back to work. The plan was to go back on Monday. It was Thursday now, so I didn't have long to figure out where Little One would go when I was at work. I knew Mom would do what she could until I figured something out, but it wasn't her job. I had so much shit on my plate, and I didn't know how to handle it all.

When we got to Mom and Dad's house, I got Little One's car seat out of the back and tried to prepare myself. Hell, maybe Rosalie wouldn't be a bitch about this. And even if she was, who the fuck cared? It was my life, not hers. I was taking responsibility.

Mom opened the door and instantly took Sofia from me with a smile as she led us into the living room where everyone was. The second Mom entered with the car seat in hand, Rosalie's and Emmett's eyes were glued on it.

"What is that?" Rosalie asked as I sat down and Mom sat the car seat in front of me.

I pulled Little One out of it and held her to my chest.

"Edward, do you plan on sharing why you're holding a baby?" Emmett asked.

"This is my daughter, Sofia," I said.

"You have a daughter?" Rosalie asked. "Since when?"

"Since about a week ago when her mother left her with me."

"Dude," Emmett sighed. "That's . . . holy shit."

"Yeah, I know."

"So let me get this straight," Rosalie said. "You knocked a girl up, and she just left the kid with _you_? Did she not realize you don't do children?"

"I don't think she cared too much."

"Did she realize you'll be the worst father in the world? What was wrong with her? Leaving the baby girl with you? Was she insane?"

"Thanks, sis. That boost of confidence was just what I needed."

"What kind of mother would leave a baby with _you_?" she asked, shaking her head.

"Rosalie," Dad said, "that's enough. Your brother is doing the best he can with what's happened."

"So you lied about poor Edward being sick?" she asked, looking to Mom.

"Edward wanted to wait to get the paternity test results back before telling people," Mom said. "We were just following his wishes."

"And she's seriously his?"

I nodded. "Without a doubt."

She leaned back and started laughing. "I knew your dick would get you in trouble. I just never expected you to screw up this bad. Ever heard of a condom, little brother?"

"Babe," Emmett said. "He's obviously aware he messed up. Maybe you shouldn't rub it in."

"Emmett, he's gone on and on about how he dislikes children! This is priceless."

"You know what?" I asked. "I'm well aware that I fucked up. I don't need you going on like this."

"Let me have one more, okay? And then I'll stop."

I waved my hand, telling her to go on.

"Can you just tell me, what did you do when you change your first poopy diaper?"

"I almost threw up because it got on my hands. Happy now?"

She laughed. "Yes, okay, now I'm sorry."

"Good."

"How are you uh . . . doing with it?"

"I'm exhausted, pissed at myself, and exhausted."

"You'll get used to the lack of sleep," she said. "What are going to do with her when you're working?"

"Find a daycare, I guess. I don't have many options."

"I've been looking at a few for Ben, so I'll give you my top picks. See? I can be a helpful sister."

"Shocking."

"Now can I hold her?"

I nodded and walked over to her, laying Little One down. She started crying, and I may have been proud of her in that moment. Rosalie quickly gave Sofia back to me and remarked how she was a loud mouth like her dad.

The evening went pretty smoothly after that. I fed Sofia before dinner, and Mom took pictures. Why? I didn't have a fucking clue. She said something about how her baby boy was growing up. I was feeding a hungry baby. It didn't seem like that big of a deal.

Through dinner, Mom and Rosalie talked about the upcoming vow renewals — upcoming meaning in two months. I drowned out the talk of flowers and guests by eating the good, home cooked meal and watching Little One to make sure she was okay. She was just sucking on her pacifier, looking around.

"You're coming back Monday, right?" Emmett asked. "Carlisle loaded me up with all your cases."

"Yeah, I'll be there as long as I figure out what to do with Little One," I said.

Everyone's eyes snapped to me. "What did you call her?" Mom asked, smiling.

"Uh . . . Little One?"

"That is so sweet," Rosalie said. "I didn't know you could be sweet."

"It's not a big deal."

"That's precious," Mom said. "And if you don't have someone by Monday, you can bring her over here in the morning. Carmen has handled the shop just fine without me for the few days I took off this week."

Mom co-owned a flower shop in town with her best friend Carmen. They had a few employees, so she could take time off when she needed. She didn't even go in every day anyway. They opened the shop together when I was in high school, and Mom didn't feel the need to be home so much anymore. She enjoyed flowers and having something to occupy her time. Dad supported her because he wanted to make her happy, and this made her happy.

"Thanks, Mom. I'll start looking tomorrow. Sofia has her doctor's appointment in the morning, but then I'll start getting serious about it."

"Call me, and I'll tell you where to start," Rosalie said.

. . . . .

When Little One and I got home that evening, New Girl was unlocking her door. She looked at me and smiled before looking at the car seat.

"How is everything going?" she asked.

"So far so good. I haven't killed myself yet," I joked.

She raised an eyebrow. "That's . . . good. I take it she's . . . you know? Yours?"

"Yeah, we got the paternity test back a few days ago. She's my daughter."

She smiled. "I don't know if you want it or not, but congratulations. I'm sure you'll make a great dad."

I laughed. "Right."

"I'm serious. If you were that bad, you wouldn't have kept her, even knowing that she was yours. You're doing a good thing by being responsible. She's going to need you."

"She's going to hate me."

"I'm speaking from experience here. One day, she'll thank you for stepping up. I did."

"What does that mean?"

She shrugged. "Let's just say I know her side of things."

She left me in the hallway with that. New Girl was a bit of a mystery. She swept in when I needed her, knew all of my business, but only gave me that small amount of information about herself. Then again, it wasn't like I was trying to get to know her or be her friend. Honestly, I wouldn't even know how to be a friend to a chick. Which reminded me, it had been eight days since I got laid, and I didn't see that need being fulfilled anytime soon. It seemed it'd just be me and my hand from now on.

Life was fucking cruel.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Figuring it Out, Kind Of**

I honestly wished Little One was old enough for ice cream or some shit after her doctor's appointment. I thought I knew how loud she could scream and cry. I was wrong. Five shots later, and she was pissed, but she was protected, so I tried not to feel bad. I kind of did, though, which was why I wished I could buy her ice cream.

After being told she was perfectly healthy and to watch out for any side effects, I brought Little One home and did the only thing I knew she liked — besides eating. I bathed her. She liked that. She'd go limp and into this weird relaxed state where her lips were stuck in a small smile. Yeah, the little one very much liked me when I was running warm water over her. She fell asleep after I changed, fed, and laid her in the swing.

Rosalie emailed me a list of daycares to call, and I made appointments to see them on my lunch hour Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this upcoming week. I just prayed one of them would be good enough. My kid deserved a good place, after all. I still didn't know if I could be a good dad, but I could at least give her the best things in life. It wouldn't make up for her mom or a shitty dad, though, and I felt bad for that.

Around four in the afternoon, Sofia's nursery furniture was delivered and Mom came by to supervise. My spare bedroom that once held a desk and a few bookcases was now a nursery. Mom spent the evening decorating, turning it into a pink wonderland. I had never seen so much pink in my life. Since we didn't have time to paint like she wanted, Mom made the taupe walls work with the bedding. I honestly didn't give a fuck, and I doubted Sofia did either. The things babies needed shocked me. There was so much shit in this room. I did like the changing table, though. No more getting crap on the freshly washed blankets.

The laundry this kid made me do was ridiculous. Every day I had to wash things. She'd spit up on her blankets and clothes. Besides her things, I had to wash my shirts because she'd get shit, drool, and unwanted formula on those, too. Babies were fucking messy. Part of me thought Little One got some kind of cruel satisfaction out of making more of a mess than necessary.

"She may not like sleeping in here right away," Mom said, looking around the pink wonderland. "When you were a baby, I kept you in a bassinet in our room until you were six months old. It took us a while to get you adjusted to being alone."

"So . . . what should I do?"

"When you put her down tonight, pull the rocking chair over and stay with her for a little while. What's the longest period of time she's slept for?"

"Around four hours. Those four hours were heaven," I sighed, remembering last night when I actually slept decent. I may or may not have kissed Little One on the cheek when she woke up.

She nodded. "Feed her right before bedtime and stay in here with her for about an hour. If she wakes up, just rock her in the rocking chair and put her back down after she's been asleep for a bit."

I nodded. "Got it."

"Did you find a few daycares?"

"Yeah, and I have appointments to see them on my lunch hours. I doubt any of them will let me start her before next week, though."

"I'll let Carmen know I won't be in this week."

"What do you need me to bring Monday morning?"

"The portable crib, bouncer, change of clothes, and diapers and formula."

"Okay, thank you, Mom. I know this has affected you too, and I'm sorry."

She smiled. "It's all right. I love her, Edward."

I cocked my head. "You do?"

"Of course, silly! How could someone not love her?"

I ran my hand through my hair and plopped down in the rocking chair. "How can I tell if I do?"

"Oh, honey," she sighed. "You're just getting used to this. It may take some time, but I have no doubt that you do love her. Somewhere inside that heart of yours, you love her. It shows in everything you're doing for her."

I shrugged. "I feel like it should be more . . . obvious to me, I guess."

"It'll happen," she said. "I'm going to go home, all right? If you need me, give me a call."

"Yeah, thanks, Mom."

She leaned down and kissed my forehead. "You're welcome. I love you."

. . . . .

After dropping Little One off with Mom, I headed to the hospital. I exchanged her SUV with Tanya for the day. How I had missed her. She still purred just right for me. I would eventually have to accept the fact that I'd have to get rid of her. That'd be a sad day. I spent the drive trying to figure out how to tell Jasper about the little one. It wasn't like I could hide my daughter from him. My daughter . . . I was still trying to get used to that.

After signing in and changing into my scrubs, I set out to find Jasper. He'd probably be pissed I lied to him and hid a baby, but honestly, what else was I supposed to do? I quickly found him coming out of a patient's room.

"You're back," he said, placing the chart he held on the counter.

"I am, and I need to talk to you," I said. "Can you take a few minutes?"

"Uh, sure. I just need to check on one more patient first, and then I'm all yours."

"Great. Meet me in the supply closet."

He smirked. "Now, Edward, you know I'm not that kind of girl."

I rolled my eyes. "Just meet me in there, asshole."

"So serious," he said. "Should I be worried?"

"Well, I've been lying about being sick, so take that as you will."

By the time Jasper showed up in the supply closet, his joking demeanor was gone, and he wanted to know what was up. He thought I was fucking around when I told him, so he started laughing. When he realized I wasn't, he wanted to know why the hell I hadn't told him. I didn't really have much of an excuse, except the fact that I had enough shit on my plate.

"No more drinks?" he asked.

"I don't think they allow babies in bars," I said.

"Pretty sure they don't," he laughed. "Maybe when you're better adjusted you can get a babysitter. Until then, if you need some help, and I'm not saying I know anything about kids because I don't, but I'll do what I can. I'll keep you sane."

"Thanks, man," I said. "So . . . apparently she looks like me."

"That'd be one ugly ass kid then."

"She's . . . cute, I guess. Cutest baby I've ever seen."

"Aww, you're being all fatherly," he laughed. "Don't tell me you have a picture of her."

I stayed silent. _I_ didn't take it, but Mom had texted me the one from Thursday when I fed Little One.

"You do! You have to let me see."

"I think it could be used against me, so no."

"Dude, give me your phone or this supply closet meeting is going to get very awkward when I grab it from your waist."

"Touch me, and you'll regret it," I said, pulling my phone out of the clip. "Use this against me, and I'll never speak to you again."

I passed him the phone and he laughed. "Swear to God, I never thought I'd see the day."

"So do you think she looks like me?"

He kept laughing. "I can't tell. But she does have a nipple in her mouth, so the similarities are daunting."

"That's not fucking funny," I said, snatching the phone away. "She's my kid. No sex jokes about her."

"Damn, you're sensitive about her, aren't you?"

I shrugged. "Can we keep this between us for now? I don't want the entire hospital to know my business."

"Your secret child is safe with me."

. . . . .

I was exhausted by the time I picked up Little One and got home. The lack of sleep was definitely not okay. If I didn't figure something out, I'd wind up fucking up at work and hurting someone. Little One and I were going to have a conversation tonight about keeping me awake.

When I got her home and ordered pizza, since I didn't feel like cooking, Little One decided to make my day just great with a shitty diaper. She was probably saving it just for me.

"You're quite hilarious," I said, snapping on the gloves. "Good thing I've become immune to your shit smell."

I undid the diaper just as she decided to piss. I was pretty fucking thankful she wasn't a boy, otherwise, I'd be covered in it — not just my hands. I waited until she was done, and then cleaned her up and put her in a new diaper. She had been slobbering more and more lately, so I left the onesie off and put a bib on her. Mom's idea. Had I mentioned she was a genius? Well, she was. She even supplied me with packs of bibs.

I brought Little One out to the living room and laid her blanket down on the floor. I laid her down on her tummy. It was supposed to be good for muscle building or some shit. The baby book said so. Yes, I was reading a baby book Mom gave me. My main goal was to not fuck the kid up, so I was trying to do what I could.

"This book says you like to hear me talk," I said, sitting down next to her. "That's a good thing because I like to talk. I've been told I have a _great_ voice."

She made a few sounds — grunts — as she lifted her head a little off the floor. See? Muscle building.

"So I saved a kid's spleen today." I grinned. "That's what I do. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this yet, but I'm a surgeon, and a pretty good one, too. Someday you might be proud of that."

She kicked against the blanket and moved a little.

"Nice. Just don't start crawling yet," I said. "I haven't baby proofed anything. Though, I think rolling over is before crawling anyway. I should expect that in a few weeks according to this."

I set the book down and picked her up, turning her onto her back in front of me. She made a few sounds and smiled. I put my hand against her belly and rubbed softly.

"We need to talk about the sleep thing. If you manage to give me five hours a night, straight through, I'll buy you a convertible when you're sixteen. Sound like a deal?" I asked. "Yeah, that's not going to happen, but five hours would be nice."

Someone knocked on my door, so I picked her up and set her in the bouncer before I grabbed the money off of the end table. It wasn't the pizza guy, though. It was New Girl, and she had mail.

"The mailman confused us," she said, handing it to me.

"Thank you. I have a piece of yours, actually," I said. "It's from a few days ago. I just haven't had the chance to run it over. Come on in."

I opened the door for her, and she smiled, stepping through. She looked around the apartment and started walking toward Sofia.

"I like what you've done with the place," she laughed, noting all the baby shit.

"Yeah, I think it's me," I chuckled as someone else knocked on the door. "I really hope that's the pizza guy."

"Oh, pizza sounds good."

I paid the guy and took my pizza, sniffing it hungrily. Fuck, I was hungry. New Girl was sitting on the floor in front of Little One, talking softly as I set the pizza on the counter in the kitchen. I grabbed her mail and came back over.

"She's gotten cuter," she said.

I smirked. "I'm starting to see the resemblance more and more every day."

She took the mail from me and stood up. "Well, thank you," she said, looking to the door.

"Sure, no problem." And then I got an idea. "Do you want to stay for pizza? I wouldn't mind talking to someone who could talk back," I laughed.

She bit her lip and nodded. "I'd love some pizza."

I grabbed a few slices and put them on plates before coming back out to the living room. New Girl was playing with Sofia, making her smile and coo. As we ate, we starting talking a little. She started with the weather, saying she thought I needed grownup talk.

"The rain has been wonderful," I said, smirking.

"Are you still home with her?" she asked, wiping her face with the napkin.

I shook my head, chewed, and swallowed. "Went back to work today. I've been looking for daycares and the one I saw today seemed good."

"I'm a kindergarten teacher, so a lot of my students go to daycare after school. I know of a few good ones, if you need help."

"I have a list if you want to tell which ones would rank high for you." I smiled.

She wiped her hands on the napkin and smiled back. "Let me see it."

She went through the list with me and told me to mark a few off for whatever reason. I told her what I was looking for, and she narrowed it down to two. I needed close to the hospital, a good reputation, and somewhere Sofia wouldn't just be another kid. Little One deserved to get attention, especially if I couldn't always give it to her.

"This one is one of the best," she said, pointing to the one I saw today. "Banbury Corner has an amazing reputation. None of my parents have ever spoken bad about it."

"It's only three blocks from the hospital too, which is perfect," I said. "I just . . . you know, would feel better if she was close by in case something happened."

"Well, look at that. You're already a good dad."

I shrugged. "I'm being logical. If she got hurt, I'd want her to be able to get help as quickly as possible."

She grinned. "And to think I thought you were just some douchebag with a revolving door," she laughed.

"Excuse me?"

She covered her mouth, trying to stop laughing. "In the few weeks I lived here before Sofia arrived, I saw a girl leave every few mornings . . . doing the walk of shame as I left for work."

"Were you spying on me?" I smirked.

She flushed bright red. "No! I . . . they were hard to miss, is all. I was _not_ spying."

"Sure," I said.

"I wasn't!" she defended. "I just noticed a pattern."

"It wasn't that bad."

She cocked her head. "Now who is living in denial?"

"Does that mean you were spying on me?"

She rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't call it spying."

"Just observing closely?"

"Maybe. But again, hard not to notice the parade."

"Well, those days are over," I sighed.

"Good."

"Good?"

"You have kid to take care of, so those days being over is a good thing."

Little One interrupted the adult conversation by fussing. It was time for her to eat, so New Girl said goodbye and left us alone. She wasn't as weird as I had thought. First impressions may have been wrong because talking to her was kind of nice.

It also didn't hurt that she was nice to look at. I was a man, after all, so it was hard not to notice those things.

Those things meaning her boobs.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: First Night Out**

The days seemed to blur into weeks and soon enough, Little One was fourteen weeks old. Yes, we survived our first month. It pretty much crept up on me. We had fallen into a routine of sorts. The little one had even decided to start sleeping longer at night. I usually got a full five hours, give or take the few nights she had to be changed or woke up hungry.

New Girl was right about the daycare. It seemed good, so Little One started the following Monday. I dropped her off at six-thirty every morning and picked her up when I got off after seven. A few times, Mom or Dad had to pick her up if I ran late, but it seemed to usually work out okay. Dad had taken me off the call schedule for now — pissing off Rosalie and Emmett — so I didn't have to worry about that just yet, but he said it wasn't permanent, and I'd have to figure something out soon.

"Any chance you can get a babysitter Friday?" Jasper asked as I did chart work.

I looked up at him. "I don't know. Why?"

"Well, I've been dating Alice for over a month now, and she wants to meet you," he said. "She wants to get to know my best friend. I told her you had a lot on your hands, so she understands if you can't come."

"I can ask my parents." I smirked. "So she wants to meet your best friend?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, apparently you sound hilarious."

I laughed. "I am quite awesome."

"She thinks it's funny that you're a whore turned daddy. She wants to see how that's working out."

"Would it just be us?"

"She's bringing her friend along so it's not awkward when we ditch you."

I raised my eyebrows. "A female friend?"

"Yes, but you're a daddy now." He smirked. "You can't fuck her. Besides, Alice would kill me if her friend turned into one of your notches."

"Fine," I sighed. "Have I mentioned that fatherhood isn't good for my dick?"

"Well, your dick got you into fatherhood, so I'd be cautious of using it. Who knows how many more kids you have out there."

"I pray to God Little One is it. She's enough of a handful," I said, tossing my pen down and running my hand through my hair. "Have I told you what she did this morning?"

"Is it hilarious?"

"Probably to you."

He sat down on the counter. "Do tell."

"She managed to roll onto her side on the changing table. I freaked out because I was afraid she'd roll all the way over and manage to fall off, so I dropped the shitty diaper and grabbed her."

"Eh, that's not very funny."

"I then forgot about the diaper and stepped on it." He laughed a little. "I didn't have shoes on."

He about fell off the counter from laughing. "I bet the look on your face was priceless. I should set up a nanny camera in her room."

"I started gagging, did a horrible job of wiping it off my foot, and then threw up in the dirty diaper bin. I have to shampoo the carpet later."

"You threw up?"

I nodded.

"Because of a little shit?"

"It was between my toes."

"Dude, it's crap. You do it, I do it, everyone does it. Get over it," he said. "I touch adult's shit every day and don't throw up."

"Again, between my toes at five-thirty in the morning."

He smirked. "Poor you."

"Hey, you should change one of her diapers. I need to change her formula or some shit because what comes out of her isn't normal. It can't be."

"I change plenty of diapers, so I'm not adding your kid's to the list," he said. "Now I need to get back to work. Unless you'd like to try one of mine?"

"Fuck no."

"Then have fun with the little one's," he laughed.

After lunch, I had two scheduled procedures, and then an emergency appendectomy. Still, I managed to get out of the hospital just after seven. Little One was ready to go shortly after I got to the daycare. She was wide awake and sucking on her pacifier when I got to her.

"Hey, Little One," I said, tickling her belly.

Why, fuck yes, I had started tickling the little one. She was getting close to an actual laugh, and though it even seemed weird for me that I wanted to hear it, I did. She'd coo a little and smile, dropping the pacifier out of her mouth, but no laugh. In a month's time I had decided to make the best of this. She wasn't going anywhere, and neither was I. Whether I liked it or not, I had a kid, and she wasn't all that bad. In fact, she was fucking great sometimes.

Though I had accepted the fact that I wasn't going to be getting laid anytime soon, I did discover that when I took her jogging with me, women flocked to me. Well, they flocked to the stroller in front of me, but still, I fucking loved it. Using my child to get attention was horribly wrong, but I missed the attention. Just because I couldn't have sex right now didn't mean I couldn't flirt. And flirt I did. Plus, the hot woman who bent over to see Little One exposed their chest half the time. I loved spring.

. . . . .

After she was fed, bathed, and changed, Little One and I sat on the couch to watch a documentary. I held her in my arms and gave her my finger like usual. I discovered she liked sucking on that even more than the pacifier. Who was I to deny her some happiness? Besides, it kept her quiet so I could watch.

"I've participated in one of these," I told her, watching the TV. "It's a kidney transplant. Very interesting stuff. You know, I followed in my father's footsteps and became a doctor."

She just kept sucking and looked up at me.

"It'd be pretty fucking awesome if you followed in my footsteps." I grinned. "Dr. Sofia 'Little One' Cullen. I think it fits."

She smiled around my finger. I think she just liked being called "Little One". I kinda liked calling her that, so it was mutual.

I smiled at her. "Little One."

She made another coo, but that was it. No laugh. Not even a small giggle. The baby book said that should have happened around this time. I bounced her a little in my arms and let her continue to suck as I finished the documentary. She took her usual evening nap as I switched to regular TV.

I made Little One her last bottle just before bedtime, which seemed to be at eleven lately. That was much better than the two or three in the morning before. Daycare was good for her. The whole routine shit worked wonders for keeping me sane.

Little One had started using her hands to grasp things lately. She'd help me hold onto the bottle every once in a while. It wasn't really a good grasp, but she was trying. Her tiny hand would go right over mine sometimes. It was . . . sweet, I guess.

I rocked gently in the rocking chair as she drank and smiled at her. There was something about her that made me want to smile when she looked at me. I wasn't fucking getting soft because it was like I had to. I was not going to start talking like a baby to her. She deserved more than that. Language skills were important.

"I'm going to ask Grandma if she'll watch you Friday night," I said. "I need to go out. I need some more adult interaction. New Girl is good company every once in a while when she comes over for mail or to see how you are, but I need an actual conversation with other adults that does not involve you or work."

I wiped the excess formula that dribbled out of her mouth away, and she took the bottle for some more.

"You'll be good for Grandma, right? And not laugh for her and not me?" I smirked. "I do want to hear your laugh soon. The baby book said it should happen around this time. I know, I know, not all babies are the same. It has a disclaimer and everything, but I wish it'd happen soon. You know, so that I know you're happy."

The kid's life had already been a whirlwind of shit because of her disappearing mother. I wanted to give her a good life now. I wanted to make her happy. Maybe it was fucking stupid to think that would be what laughing meant, but it'd be a good start. The smiles were great. They kinda . . . warmed my heart or some shit. I didn't know. It was something like that. I wanted a laugh. A little giggle.

"I guess it'll happen when you're ready."

After burping her and changing a piss diaper one more time, I laid her down in the crib and stayed with her for about twenty minutes after she had fallen asleep. Sometimes, it was a false alarm, and she'd wake back up, so I just stayed to be sure.

. . . . .

Thankfully, Mom agreed to watch Little One on Friday night. She and Dad said I deserved one night, so they agreed to keep her all night, actually. Was I thrilled? Fuck yes, I was. My plan? Meet Alice, wait until her, Jasper, and the friend left, and then continue to get hammered and fuck some chick I didn't plan on remembering. I deserved it. I had been good for Little One. It was time I got laid. It had been almost five weeks since the last time.

"So you have everything for her, right?" I asked Mom as I passed her Sofia.

"Yes, Edward, we have everything. She'll be fine with us for the night," she said, smiling as she bounced the baby softly. "Won't you, Sofia?"

Dad just smirked as I checked the diaper bag one more time to make sure Little One had an extra pacifier, just in case. "You're nervous to leave her, aren't you, son?" he asked.

"No," I said. "I just . . . don't want you two to have any problems with her."

He rolled his eyes as Mom grinned. "Sure, Edward," she said.

"It's not like we didn't raise two kids of our own and watch our other grandchild regularly," Dad said. "I think we can handle her."

"Yeah, okay, then," I said. "I guess I'll go."

I grazed my hand over Little One's cheek before actually saying goodbye and leaving, taking Tanya with me. I still hadn't had the heart to give her up. She had been sitting in my parent's garage for the last month while I drove Mom's SUV because of Little One. Mom didn't care. She rarely drove the SUV anymore since Dad bought her a coupe a few months ago for her birthday. I would eventually need to get rid of Tanya. She just wasn't practical anymore. It broke my heart.

When I got to the bar where I was meeting Jasper and Alice, I parked Tanya and headed in. I texted Jasper to let him know I was here, and he met me at the door.

"Hey, man, I'm glad you could make it," he said, patting my shoulder. "Alice is excited to meet you."

I smirked. "Of course she is."

"This is a warning. Say anything offensive, and I'll kick your ass." He glared. "She's important to me."

I put my hands up. "Perfect angel. I swear."

"And don't even try to sleep with her friend. She's really sweet and doesn't need you fucking that up."

"No fucking the friend. Understood. Now can we go? I want a beer."

As we walked toward a table, a petite, spikey black haired woman grinned. She slid off the stool and rushed toward us. Damn. She was _short_. Like, under five-foot short. Her tiny arms wrapped themselves around my torso without me even realizing what was happening.

When she pulled back, grinning, she said, "I'm Alice. It's so nice to finally meet you, Edward."

"You too, Alice." I smiled.

She turned around and my eyes followed her. Now facing us was the friend. A friend I knew. A friend who knew me. Her eyes were wide as she took me in. It seemed she wasn't aware of who I was when she agreed to this.

"Hello, Bella," I said.

New Girl blushed as Jasper cursed under his breathe, thinking I had fucked her.

"Relax, she's my neighbor," I laughed. "I haven't screwed every chick in this town."

He glared at me. "I'll go get our beer."

Alice forced me down in the chair between her and New Girl as Jasper walked toward the bar. New Girl was playing with the straw in her fruity drink, avoiding looking up at me. I thought we had gotten over the awkwardness. She came over at least once a week to give me mail or see how Little One and I were doing. She even brought chicken soup she made over last week.

"So how do you two know each other?" I asked, looking between Alice and New Girl.

"We work at the same school," Alice said. "I teach fourth grade, and Bella teaches kindergarten."

I smirked. "I knew that."

"Bella, why didn't you tell me about your cute neighbor," Alice asked, giving her a pointed look.

"Alice," New Girl whispered harshly. "I . . . it isn't a big deal."

"Bella just moved to Port Angeles," Alice said. "Has she told you that?"

I shook my head. "She's been quite sparse on the details."

"That sounds like Bella."

"Have you two known each other long?"

"We met when she started working at my school," she said.

Jasper got back, gave me my beer, and sat down next to Alice, taking her hand on the table top. Now that . . . was sickening. The poor bastard was really falling for her. He was seriously fucking holding her hand.

I had to stop looking, so I asked New Girl, "I take it she didn't tell you my name?"

She shook her head. "No. She just said you were a friend of Jasper's. I only met him a few weeks ago," she said. "How long have you two been friends?"

I sipped the beer, realizing how much I fucking missed this. Five weeks without sex and any alcohol blew.

"We've known each other since we were kids," I told her.

She nodded, biting her lip again. The lesson here was not to surprise New Girl. She didn't do well with surprises, obviously. Or maybe she just didn't do well in groups. She had been fine with Little One and me. She hadn't talked about herself much, but she at least talked. Now she was just shy and awkward.

As the evening went on and more alcohol was put in everyone, things lightened up. Alice was actually pretty fucking hilarious. She was complete opposite of Jasper. Outgoing, outspoken, and fucking hyper. Jasper watched her like a damn hawk, hanging on her every word. She had him wrapped around her finger so fucking tight. It was quite hilarious.

"So let me get this straight," Alice said. "The chick showed up on your doorstep, with a baby, and just left her with you?"

"Basically. She actually came out of Bella's apartment, though," I said.

She turned to New Girl. "And how could you not have told me about this?"

"It wasn't any of my business," Bella said.

"Do you not know what gossip is?"

"It's not gossip. It's his life."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Fine," she sighed. "At least I know if you can keep a strangers secrets, you can keep mine."

"Tight lips, Bella?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I guess I just didn't think it was something to share."

I smiled. "Thanks."

She smiled a little back as that blush crept up on her cheeks again. Come to think of it, every time I smiled she blushed. I was starting to think New Girl had a crush on me.

. . . . .

By the time Alice and Jasper left, New Girl was up for a bit more talking. We stuck around, continuing to drink as I told her shit about myself. Her lips stayed closed about herself, though. I wanted to change that. She knew all kinds of shit about me, but I knew basically nothing about her.

"Where did you grow up?" I asked, leaning back in the chair.

"Forks," she said. "It's a small town about an hour away."

I nodded. "I know where Forks is. Where did you go to school?"

"University of Washington."

It was like pulling fucking teeth. "And I take it you have a degree in Education?"

She nodded. "Masters, actually."

"Care to share anymore?" I laughed.

"Um . . . this is my first year teaching. I applied all across the state and was finally hired by the Port Angeles Board of Education this past fall."

"What made you decide to move into my apartment building?"

"The commute from Forks was a little much. I moved back in with my Dad when I got the job to save up money."

"Smart choice."

"Where did you grow up?" she asked, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Here. I was born and raised right in this town."

"Is it nice to be back? I mean, you had to have left for school, so when did you move back?"

"I moved back last June when I finished my residency in New York. My father offered me a job, and I took it. I'm glad I came back."

"So your father is a doctor, too?"

"Yes, I followed in his footsteps, I guess. Same specialty and everything."

She smiled. "I bet he's proud."

"Seems to be. What about yours? Is he glad you became a teacher?"

She nodded. "Yes. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. My mom was one, too."

"I thought your dad raised you?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "He did. She . . . passed away when I was little."

Shit. No wonder she didn't want to fucking talk about it. "I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"It's okay," she said softly. "It's getting late. I think I'm going to go home."

Fuck. "Do you need a ride?"

She shook her head. "I lost count how many beers you've had, so I don't think you should be driving."

I was feeling the alcohol. I certainly wasn't fucked up like I was planning, but she was probably right. "Good thinking," I laughed.

"I can drive you, if you want."

"So I've had too much, but you haven't?"

"I've had two margaritas over the course of three hours."

Huh, I thought she had more. I guess it was Alice who had been getting all the drinks.

"Then sure. I'd very much appreciate it." I grinned, standing up and pulling my wallet out.

I paid the tab — since Jasper and Alice skipped out on it — and followed New Girl to her ancient piece of shit. Tanya was sitting near the back of the lot under a tree. I pulled my keys out and made sure she was locked before getting into the passenger side of the truck. I probably would have been fine to drive, but New Girl did offer.

"You should get a new car," I told her. "No offense, but this thing is decrepit and deserves to be put down."

She looked over at me and scowled. Apparently, I wasn't to say shit about the truck.

"Maybe not," I said.

"My truck is fine," she said. "But if you'd rather walk, go right ahead."

Well, then. New Girl was a little testy.

I smirked, trying to get her to lighten up. "I'm good."

She looked to the left, so I couldn't tell if she blushed or not. Damn. Was it wrong I kind of wanted to see if she did? There was something about the blush I liked.

Our apartment building wasn't far from the bar, so the drive was quick. Quick and silent. I walked behind her into the building and up the stairs to our floor. She went to her door, and maybe it was the alcohol, but I had an idea. Actually, it was probably the alcohol and the lack of fucking.

"Do you want to come in?" I asked, unlocking my door.

"No, Edward," she said. "I'm good."

She walked in her apartment and shut the door, a little hard. Well, I fucked up. Bringing up her dead mom, insulting her truck, and propositioning her for sex probably weren't the best combinations to make a friend.

I pulled my shirt and jeans off before climbing into bed. I slid my hand down my boxers and helped myself. I fucking hated helping myself.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Foreign Feelings**

My head hurt when I woke up this morning. I didn't drink that much — wasn't even drunk, actually — and yet I had a minor hangover. I took Advil and made coffee. The clock on the stove told me I had slept over eight hours. Under the headache, I did feel pretty well-rested. I'd have felt better without the headache, though. As I watched the news and checked my phone, I realized Mom and Dad hadn't called, which meant Little One probably did fine. I called Mom anyway, just to be sure.

"Well, good morning, sunshine," she answered happily.

"Morning. How's Sofia?" I asked, drinking my coffee.

"I think she misses you, but she's okay."

"She misses me?"

"She had the hardest time going to sleep last night."

"I'm sorry," I sighed. "I'll be over there soon to get her."

That made me feel like shit. I knew the little one could be a handful when she was fussy. My parents probably didn't sleep last night because of her.

"Don't rush," she said. "She's better this morning. She helped me make French toast."

"She helped you make French toast?" I asked. "What did she do? Beat the eggs?"

She laughed. "Well, no, but she was good company."

"She didn't laugh, did she?"

"No, sweetie, you didn't miss that," she said. "Come get her in a little bit after you've had some time to yourself."

"Okay, I'll be over in an hour."

"Sounds good. I made cookies last night, so I have a tin for you."

I perked up. "Cookies? What kind?"

"Peanut better chocolate chip. Your favorite."

"I love you, Mom," I laughed.

"I love you, too."

Before going to get Little One, I poured a massive bowl of cereal and sat down on the couch, just enjoying the alone time. When I was done, I started laundry and went for a jog. I hadn't jogged without Little One in so long that it felt weird to do it without the stroller. A little . . . lonely, I guess. I kind of fucking missed her, as insane as that sounded.

. . . . .

When I walked into the living room of my parent's house, I found Dad sitting in his chair with Little One lying against his chest. She was awake, sucking on her pacifier like usual. Her eyes seemed to widen when she saw me. Maybe I was imagining it, but I didn't think so. She was happy to see me. Dad gently passed her to me, and I held her close with my hand on the back of her head.

"Hey, Little One, were you good for Grandma and Grandpa?" I asked, suddenly feeling the urge to kiss her cheek.

I was fucking losing myself to her.

Dad smiled as he stood up. "She was fine," he said. "A little fussy last night, but it worked out."

"Sorry. I know she can get pretty loud."

"She was _fine_ ," Mom said, coming into the room with the tin of cookies. "We loved having her for the night."

I nodded. "Good."

"Did you have fun?" she asked.

"It was nice to get to go out."

She gave me an appraising look. "What time did you get home?"

"Uh . . . I think it was around one. Jasper's girlfriend invited a friend along who happened to be my new neighbor," I said. "After Jasper and Alice — his girlfriend — left, we stayed and talked. She drove us home since she didn't have as much to drink as me."

Mom looked surprised. "She just drove you home?"

I nodded. "I went into my apartment, and she went into hers."

You know, after I tried to get her to come in.

"Huh."

"I _didn't_ sleep with her, okay?"

She put her hands up. "I never said you did." She smiled. "I'm glad you had a good time. I know it's hard on you to change so drastically for Sofia, but you're doing well."

"I, uh . . . thanks, Mom."

She smiled and kissed Sofia's cheek. "Bye-bye, baby girl," she said.

. . . . .

Little One fell asleep in the car and slept peacefully all the way home and into the apartment. That was until I laid her down in the crib. She instantly started crying and flailing her arms around. I quickly picked her back up and held her against my chest. I rubbed her back softly as she rested her head in the crook of my neck.

"Shh, Little One, I'm here," I said, starting to walk through the apartment.

I sat down on the living room floor with her and laid her on the blanket. I wiped the tears off of her plump cheeks and smiled. Her crying had stopped, and she smiled back at me.

I tickled her belly and she cooed like usual. "You're a happy baby, right?" I asked, moving my hands to her tiny feet.

I moved them around, basically doing some kind of jazzercise shit. She seemed to like it. She put her hand in her mouth and started sucking on her fingers. The kid loved to suck on shit. Her pacifier, my fingers, her fingers . . . if it could go in her mouth, she'd put it in there. That could turn into a problem someday. I pulled her hands away and moved them with mine, bringing them together, so she was kind of clapping. I made a silly fucking face, and she stared at me. No smile, just stared. I was probably scaring the shit out of her.

"Yeah, I don't think my face is supposed to do that, either," I laughed, picking up a stuffed toy and holding it in front of her face.

She raised her hand and batted at it, but didn't try to take it. I pulled it away from her, and she started to look a little pissed. I quickly put it back and let her bat it some more. She grew tired of it eventually, so I picked her up and laid her down in the center of the play gym, so she could have her own fun while I made her a bottle.

I kept peeking out of the kitchen to make sure she was okay as I made the bottle. After the rolling on her side on the changing table incident, I didn't want to take any chances. She wasn't even four months old and already doing that, so she was a little ahead of what the baby book said. I didn't want to look away and have something happen to her.

As I tested the bottle on my wrist like usual, I heard a sound. I shot back into the living room and found Little One batting at the toy hanging above her. She was . . . giggling. The kid was giggling!

I was grinning like a fucking maniac. "You did it!" I exclaimed, lifting her up and into arms. "You giggled, didn't you?"

She didn't make another sound as I held her close and kissed the top of her head. I wanted to fucking run around the neighborhood, screaming that the little one _finally_ giggled. The sound she made was just . . . to be honest, it was fucking cute. I didn't call things cute, but that kind of was. There was no better way to describe it.

"Will you do it again?" I asked, doubting she'd listen. After all, she didn't even understand me.

I laid her back down on the floor and tickled her belly. Nothing. I went for her feet, and she made a tiny one, but it wasn't like before.

"Laugh for daddy," I said, not even realizing the word was coming out of my mouth.

I hadn't called myself daddy before. It seemed insane that I could refer to myself that way, but I could. I helped create her. I didn't really think I deserved to call myself a dad, like my own dad could. It wasn't right to put myself on that level with him. He and Mom tried for years to get pregnant, wanting children so badly. Rose was born six years after they got married, me ten. They wanted us more than anything in the world. It wasn't a secret that I didn't want Little One. It was shameful, actually. I felt like this was more of a burden than a joy, but I did want it to be a joy. I wasn't stupid enough not to realize that I _should_ have been thrilled at the thought of a kid. I was self-centered. I cared more about my happiness than anything else. I knew that had to change, and I was trying. Little One deserved more than trying, though. She deserved a dad that loved her.

Which begged the question, did I love her? Honestly, I still didn't know. I cared about her, sure. But was that love? Hell if I knew. I loved my parents and my family. I knew that love. I didn't know this love. I didn't know what it felt like to love a child and that worried me. What if I didn't love her? That'd be pretty fucking shitty for her because she deserved to be loved. She was . . . special.

. . . . .

When I went down to get my mail that evening, I just carried Little One. I had forgotten to grab it when we got home, so we had to leave the apartment again. As if someone wanted to force me to apologize like I needed to, New Girl just so happened to walk into the building at the exact time I was grabbing the envelopes out. She waited patiently behind me until I was done and shut my mailbox before opening hers.

"I was a dick," I said.

She turned her head around and raised an eyebrow. "Okay," she said.

I sighed. "I'm trying to apologize for pissing you off."

She shut the mailbox and threw the keys and mail into her purse before turning around to actually face me. "You didn't piss me off."

"I did something wrong because you barely spoke to me after I said something about your truck," I said. "I was just fucking around."

"Even if I were pissed off, it wouldn't have been about the truck. I'm used to it."

"Was it me inviting you in?"

She shrugged. "That wasn't exactly shocking, what with your track record."

"What do you know about my track record?" She looked at Sofia, and then back at me. "Okay, I deserve that."

"If you want me to say I forgive you, then okay, I forgive you."

"Well, if you're not pissed, then I guess I don't need to apologize." I smirked. "Wouldn't that be right?"

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "You're uh . . . you're something else, you know that?"

"Was that an insult or a compliment because I've heard it both ways," I laughed.

She smirked. "I wasn't going for compliment."

"Ah, so insult. That hurts."

She laughed softly. "I'm sure you've heard worse."

I shrugged. "Yeah," I chuckled. "So you're not mad at me?"

She shook her head. "No, Edward, I'm not mad."

"But something upset you last night."

She pulled her lip between her teeth, and then quickly released it. She smiled a little and said, "I'm fine."

I didn't believe her. _Something_ upset her last night, and if it wasn't the truck or inviting her in, then it had to be bringing up her mom. I could understand that. I was sure that was a touchy subject. It just sounded like one, after all. But if you wanted to get technical, _she_ brought it up, not me. She said her mom had been a teacher. Though it was, in fact, not me who upset her, I still kind of felt bad.

"Hey, I'm making my specialty tonight for dinner," I said. "Would you like to share my Mac and Cheese?" I laughed.

I didn't want to, you know, leave her upset . . . or anything.

"Would you rather homemade spaghetti and meatballs? Well, homemade sauce. The meatballs were frozen," she said, smirking.

"You know, that sounds much better. I'd love that, and Sofia would like to spend time with you again, anyway." I grinned, turning around so Little One could see her. "She likes you."

New Girl came over and touched the little one's cheek. "I like her, too," she said.

. . . . .

While New Girl started dinner, I took Little One back into our apartment to bathe and feed her. It was a little early, but she didn't seem to mind. She rested contentedly as I used my free hand to wash her off, using the other hand to support her neck. Little One never flailed her arms to splash the shallow water. Apparently, this was her relaxing time.

"I think you enjoy this too much," I said, moving onto her hair. "But I'll take this weird limpness over flailing and splashing any day."

After getting Sofia dry and changed into a new onesie, I fed her. After she was full, I put her in the car seat, and we went to New Girl's apartment across the hall. She said she had just finished dinner, so I had perfect timing.

Her apartment was . . . nice, I guess. The furniture was simple and the walls were bare of photographs. It didn't seem very personal, but I was only in the living room and dining room. She probably had that stuff in her bedroom. I set Little One's car seat down by the table and sat down in front of one of the plates she had already put on the table.

"I hope it's better than your Mac and Cheese," she said, setting a glass of water down.

The food was . . . holy shit, New Girl could cook. Whatever the fuck went into this sauce was delicious. I dare say, it may have been better than Mom's spaghetti, and I loved hers.

"I'm guessing you enjoy it from the look on your face?" she laughed softly.

"It's delicious," I said. "You're a great cook."

Her cheeks flushed lightly as she sipped her water. "Thank you."

As we ate, the conversation started off light. I asked about her day, and she asked about mine. She drove down to Forks to visit her dad, like she did once a month or so. He was the police chief of the small town, but she wanted him to retire. I couldn't believe she was actually talking about herself.

"So how is Sofia doing with daycare?" she asked.

I nodded. "She seems fine. Her schedule is better, more predictable, which is good for her and me."

"That's good." She smiled. "What's she doing down here?"

I looked beside my feet and found Little One fast asleep. "It's evening naptime, apparently."

New Girl peeked around the round table to my feet to see Little One for herself. "She's really cute."

I grinned, somewhat proudly. "Yeah, she is."

"Have you gotten . . . used to it yet?"

I snorted. "Hell no. I'm not sure I ever will."

"Still don't think you're a dad?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. I accidently called myself 'daddy' to her earlier. That was . . . an odd feeling."

She smiled. "I think that's sweet. She needs to hear it so that she can say it someday."

"She also giggled for the first time today."

"Wow, those are big steps for the two of you. I bet that was precious."

"Yeah," I laughed. "I never thought I could refer to something as cute."

"That is _really_ great, Edward." She smiled and raised her glass of water. "To more giggles?"

I laughed and clanked my glass against hers. "To more giggles."

I stuck around New Girl's apartment after dinner. From the way she was looking at Little One, I could tell she wanted her hold her. Even though she was still asleep, and a fit could have been started, I picked Sofia up out of her car seat and let New Girl — whose name really was Bella, even though I preferred New Girl — hold her. She sat down on her couch and smiled down at the little one. Thankfully, a fit didn't start. Little One stayed perfectly asleep, even snuggled into New Girl.

"Obviously, since you're a teacher, I'm guessing you really like kids?" I asked as I sat beside her, watching her with my daughter.

She nodded. "I do."

"Um . . . why?"

She looked up, confused. "Why do I like kids?" I nodded. "Well, I just do. They see the world in a different way, and I wish we all could see it like them sometimes. It'd be good for us."

"By seeing only the good?"

"They see the bad, too. They just look at it differently. If you ask a five year old what to do if someone is upset, they'd say give them a hug. Simple. Give them a hug. If you asked an adult, what would they say?"

"Uh, I'd try to figure out why, I guess."

I probably wasn't the best person to ask that question. Normally, unless they were a patient or someone I cared about, I'd just leave them alone. Hell, even _if_ they were a patient or someone I cared about, I'd probably still leave them alone. I wasn't good with . . . sad. It just got awkward.

"You'd make a fuss about it, wouldn't you?" she asked. I nodded, lying with a nod. "But half the time, they don't want a fuss. They just need to know someone is there. A hug does that."

"Huh," I said. "So you like kids because they hug?"

She laughed softly. "I _like_ them because they're innocent. They don't know what we do. And because they're actually quite adorable."

"Not always. They can bite."

Peds rotation taught me that.

She rolled her eyes and smirked a little. "You probably deserved it if you were bitten."

"Did not."

"And now you're arguing like one of my students."

"Touché."

"Sure, kids can be ornery, but they're just kids," she said. "I do teach kindergarten for a reason, though."

"And what's that?"

"They're still really sweet. Plus, they take naps."

I laughed. "Quiet time."

She nodded. "And then they wake up with those sleepy little faces. Precious," she laughed softly.

Little One's eyes started to open, and she looked up at New Girl. She didn't fuss. She just yawned and stretched a little.

"That face," Bella said.

"I do like that face," I agreed.

Little One and I stayed for a while longer. She really seemed to like New Girl, so I let them do whatever the fuck it was that they were doing. Little One even giggled some more because of New Girl, so that was nice. I liked the giggled. It was worth the time it took for her to do it. I didn't want her to stop.

"Thanks for coming over and bringing her," New Girl said, laying Little One down in the car seat and buckling her up for the twenty foot trip across the hall.

"Thanks for cooking," I said. "And we might have to do this again. I think she had a good time."

She smiled. "Well, I did too, so I'd love to do it again. She can come over any time she wants."

I laughed. "Don't tempt me. I still need to figure out what to do with her when I go back to being on-call and working nights."

She looked up at me. "You need someone to watch her?"

"Yeah, because I'll get called in if they need me. I also have to work nightshifts some weeks. It goes along with being a surgeon."

"Oh," she said. "If you're ever in a bind, I can watch her. I mean, I understand if you say no. You barely know me after all."

"You'd be willing to watch her?"

"Sure."

I could have fucking hugged her. "She can be a handful."

She shrugged. "It's not like it's every night. I could take care of her when you have no one else."

"I _have_ no one else. My mom said she would sometimes, but she can't always keep her. And you're right next door."

"I'd love to help."

"Thank you, Bella. I'm not back on the call schedule or have nightshifts yet, but when I am, I'll let you know. Seriously, thank you."

She smiled and kissed the little one's cheek before picking the car seat up and handing it to me. "Just let me know."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Frightening Ordeal**

"So, how's fatherhood treating you," Emmett asked with that fucking grin. "Don't ya just love those midnight feedings?"

We were having lunch in the cafeteria at work. I had just finished my first surgery of the day, a grueling four-hour ordeal, when he came out of his own OR and asked if I was hungry. He said he'd pay. Like I'd pass that shit up, even though I could afford it.

"She actually sleeps through the night now," I told him, smirking as his face dropped.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Ben still likes to wake me up sometimes and, of course, Rose makes me get him since she's taking care of him all day."

"What can I say? My kid likes me enough to let me sleep."

"What does she give you?"

"Five hours, sometimes six."

He stabbed his fork into his food. "That's bullshit. When Ben was fifteen weeks, I'd have to get up every night at least once, sometimes twice."

I laughed. "Well, I normally put her to bed in her crib at eleven, depending on if she slept enough during the day. Sometimes it's earlier if she doesn't take her evening nap. Still, I always get at least five hours."

"Let's trade kids."

"Fuck no. Little One is kind of great. She likes me now, so we get along better."

Little One just needed to get used to me, and me her. With sleeping through the night, all the laughing, smiling, and all around happiness, Little One was probably the greatest kid in the fucking world.

He shook his head. "Even if you didn't have the paternity test, I'd be positive she was your kid. I mean, who else would like you?"

"I'm an acquired taste," I said, taking another bite as Jasper came over with his tray.

He dropped it onto the table and sat down, sighing. "Alice is afraid your family won't like her, so she doesn't know if she wants to come to your parents vow renewal."

My parent's vow renewal was in two weeks on June second. Of course Jasper was invited and told he could bring a date, but it seemed Alice wasn't too keen on this.

"Well, that's what she's saying," he said. "I told her my mom was coming, and she really said she'd feel uncomfortable."

"She's afraid of your mother," Emmett laughed. "And I really don't blame her."

"My mom isn't _that_ bad," Jasper said.

"She shot me in the ass with a BB Gun when we were kids."

"Well, we were sneaking out, and she thought you were a burglar." He smirked.

I laughed my ass off. "You were a six-foot fifteen-year-old, Em. It was an easy mistake."

"Jasper, you're my friend, so I think it's okay to say this," Emmett said. "Your mom's insane. Something is loose up there."

"Dude," I said. "She's still his mom."

"Fuck you, Emmett. She's not insane," Jasper said. "She's just . . . different."

"You should probably warn Alice about that," I said.

"Yeah," he sighed. "But I don't want to scare her off. You met her. She's great."

I nodded. "She is."

"Is Jasper joining the dark side of a committed relationship with me?" Emmett asked before shoving more food into his mouth.

He shrugged. "For her, I think I would."

"Good," Emmett said, still chewing. "Edward skipped that part, so I need someone who'd be willing to double with Rose and me. She's been asking a lot lately."

"I'll talk to Alice."

I put the cap back on my water. "You two . . . sound like chicks. Setting up a double date? Really?" I laughed.

"At least I'm not constantly talking about my kid," Emmett said.

"I don't constantly talk about her."

"Yes, you do," Jasper laughed. "And you call us chicks."

"Jazz," Emmett said, "he called his mom the other day when Rose and I were over to tell her Sofia rolled over all the way."

"Oh, he told me."

I stood up, grabbing my tray. "You know what? It's not my fault my life has resorted to this," I said. "Before you fuck Alice, make sure she's on birth control and the condom doesn't break."

"Lessons Edward had to learn the hard way," Emmett laughed.

"Fuck you both."

. . . . .

"Why are you so upset, Little One?" I asked as I tried to calm her down.

It was two o'clock in the morning, and I had barely slept. She woke me up, screaming her head off. That was probably what I got for rubbing her sleeping patterns in Emmett's face. I ran faster than I knew I could to get across the hall because she never woke me up like this anymore. Crying was one thing, but this eardrum-bursting screaming was entirely different. She sounded like she was in pain.

I gently laid her down on the changing table. "It's all right," I told her, undoing her onesie and diaper only to find she was completely dry. "Are you hungry? You didn't take all of your bottle earlier."

I put her in a new diaper and picked her back up, patting her back as we walked toward the kitchen. She kept screaming as her hands flailed. She managed to grab my hair in the back and pull.

Fucking painful. Her grip was definitely getting better. I pried her hand away and laid her down in the swing so I could get her bottle ready. She was even more pissed when I walked away to grab one of the bottles I had made last night out of the fridge. As I ran the bottle under the warm water, I looked back at the little one. She was tugging on her left ear. She never tugged on her ears.

"What are you doing?" I asked, eyeing her, confused.

She kept tugging and turning her head to the side to push it against the swing as if she were . . .

"Shit," I cursed.

I turned the water off and left the bottle in the sink before I opened the cabinet and found the digital thermometer. Please, fuck no.

"Please, don't be sick," I said, kneeling down in front of her and holding her right ear to slide the thermometer in.

She threw a huge fucking fit for the few seconds it took to get the reading. I knew it wasn't as accurate as it could have been, but her ear would work. I didn't want to traumatize the poor kid by doing it the more accurate way. Well, I didn't want to traumatize myself, either.

I looked at the reading and cringed. "One-oh-two point six . . . fuck," I sighed. "No wonder you're throwing a fit."

I picked her back up and tried to think. Tugging on her ear mostly likely meant she had an ear infection. Most likely, but what if it wasn't that simple? Shit. It was probably my fault if she had an infection. God only knows what germs I bring home to her every day.

"I'm sorry," I said, kissing the top of her head as I moved around.

The motion was soothing. She liked it when I moved around with her. She wasn't calming down, though. Not that I expected her to. She was in pain, and I felt really fucking bad. I didn't want Little One to be in pain.

Suddenly, someone started knocking on my door. Little One's painful screams probably woke my next door neighbor up, or New Girl. Was it wrong I was praying it was New Girl?

When I opened the door, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was New Girl. I had never been so happy to see someone . . . ever.

"She's sick," I said. "Please, come in."

She frowned, walking through the door. "Oh, no. What do you think it is?"

"I really hope it's an ear infection, but I don't know. I feel so fucking terrible right now. I bring home all kinds of germs to her."

"Babies get sick, Edward," she said, walking over to my couch and sitting down. "And a lot of babies get ear infections."

I swayed with Little One. "Yeah, but what if that's not it?"

"Well, are you taking her to her pediatrician?"

"I think I might take her to the ER and call my dad."

She looked up at me and frowned, looking sympathetic. "Does she need the ER, Edward?"

I shrugged. "I don't know . . . maybe?"

"Here, can I have her?"

I gently passed her the still crying little one and ran back into my bedroom to get my phone. I dialed Dad's number. He'd know what to do — whether I should take her to the ER or wait until morning and take her to the pediatrician. I just . . . I was fucking freaking out. I didn't know why, but I was. With everything I couldn't or still didn't know if I could offer Little One, this was one thing I should have been able to handle easily. Honestly, I was a fucking doctor. But in this moment, when I should have been collected, I wasn't. I was a damn basket case of worry.

"Edward?" Dad answered. "It's two o'clock in the morning. What's wrong?"

"She's sick," I said.

"Sofia?"

"Who the hell else?"

"Okay, calm down. Babies get sick. What's wrong with her?"

"She has a fever of one-oh-two point six, is crying non-stop, and I saw her tug on her ear."

"It's probably an ear infection then, son. Give her something for the fever and pain and call her pediatrician in the morning. They'll probably prescribe antibiotics for her."

"So I shouldn't take her to the ER?" I asked, pacing around my room.

"No. You have Children's Tylenol, right?"

"Yeah, but are you sure I should give it to her?"

"Yes, son. Do you know the dosage?"

"Yes."

"Then give it to her. It'll help with the fever and pain."

"I don't know," I said, running my hand through my hair. "Maybe I should take her to the ER just to be safe."

"She doesn't need the ER."

"Can you come over?"

"Son, listen to me. She'll be fine. Call first thing in the morning and make an appointment with her doctor to get her in as early as you can. You don't need me to come over."

I sighed. "I'm just . . . worried."

"I can tell," he chuckled.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because you sound like me the first time Rosalie was sick. I did rush her to the ER, but she didn't need it. She had an ear infection, too. I promise, Edward, it'll all work out just fine."

"But she hasn't stopped crying and it's not just regular crying. She's screaming in pain."

"I know that's what it seems like, but she'll be fine. Give her the Tylenol."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Fine."

"Good. Now, goodnight. Call me tomorrow and let me know what her doctor says. I'll have someone cover for you."

"Thanks. I will. Sorry for waking you."

"It's fine."

. . . . .

After giving Little One the medicine, I just held her. She eventually fell back asleep in my arms, for which I was thankful. The crying was getting to be painful to _me_.

"You can go if you want," I told New Girl, who sat beside me on the couch. "I'm sure you have to work tomorrow."

"I do," she said. "But I can stay."

I shook my head. "It's okay. Thanks for coming over, though."

She smiled. "It sounded like you needed some help."

I scoffed. "When don't I?"

"Everyone needs help sometimes, and I really didn't do anything this time."

I shrugged. "You came, so I'd say that was something."

"Well, you're welcome, I guess," she laughed softly. "She looks much more peaceful."

I looked down at the sleeping little one. She did look peaceful. "Why do I feel like I just had a heart attack?"

"Because you were really worried about her. I'm pretty sure that's normal. You love her, and you don't want her to be hurting. It's sweet."

"I uh . . . I love her?"

She looked at me with an eyebrow raised. "It sure seems like you do, what with all the worrying and obsessing."

"Is it obvious?"

She rolled her eyes and laughed. "To me? The most obvious thing in the world."

"She's . . . important to me, I think. I know I care about her, but I just thought, you know, I'd realize I loved her."

"Love is a tricky thing."

"Do you think she loves me?" I asked, looking up to see her smiling.

"I think she definitely loves you," she said, caressing Little One's cheek. "You're her daddy."

"Lucky her," I laughed, rolling my eyes.

"Very lucky her," she told me. "You're a good dad, even if you can't see it."

"I'm really glad you didn't know me before her."

"I don't think it matters how you were before. It matters how you are now. And right now, I think you're a great guy because you stepped up. You changed for her."

"Can I asked you a question?"

She folded her legs under her and nodded. "Sure."

"Why did your dad have to step up?"

She bit her lip and sighed. "I told you my mom died."

"Yeah, but why would he have to step up? He was already there, wasn't he?"

She shook her head. "My dad didn't know about me until I was four. Social services called him after my mom died. She had his name in her will, in case anything happened to her."

"Damn, I'm sorry."

She blinked quickly. She was starting to cry. "I don't like to talk about it, okay?"

"Yeah, no, of course, I understand. I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"It was a reasonable question after a comment like that," she said, wiping her cheek.

"I guess I can see why you uh, wanted to help."

She nodded. "I know both sides. Yours and hers. I lived hers and watched yours. If I can help, then maybe that's something."

"You're a huge help, Bella."

She smiled, and I realized I liked seeing her smile. I liked New Girl, and not just because she was hot. She was a good person and put up with me, even though I wasn't. She was a . . . friend. I had a girl who was a friend.

How was that for progress?


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Found Out**

Little one did, in fact, have an ear infection. Her pediatrician confirmed it and let me look for myself the next morning. I didn't want to believe it since she didn't have a cold, but there it was, inflamed with that angry red color.

"Just mix the amoxicillin with one ounce of formula," Maggie, Sofia's pediatrician said. "She should take it easier like that."

I swayed with Little One, who was still crying after the torture she endured. "And if she doesn't?"

She looked up from the chart and smiled sympathetically. "She has to take it. If she doesn't like it with formula, you'll just have to squirt it into the back of her mouth," she said. "I don't think you'll like her reaction to that, though."

I rolled my eyes and rubbed Little One's back. "You think?"

"I'm sorry, Edward."

"What can I do for the pain?"

"Keep giving her the Tylenol or alternate that with ibuprofen — it's up to you. Some babies like a warm, not hot, cloth against their ear. That's soothing."

I nodded. "Anything else?"

"Slant her mattress by sticking a pillow between the mattress and frame. That'll alleviate some pressure when she's sleeping."

"Okay, I can do that."

She tore the prescription off of her pad and handed it to me. " _Finish_ this, okay?"

"I am a doctor, you know," I said. "And you're positive on giving her antibiotics?"

"Yes, _Doctor_ Cullen. We want to clear this up as quickly as possible. I'm not giving her antibiotics _just_ to give her medicine. She needs them."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I was just making sure."

She smiled and stood up, fixing her stethoscope and _conveniently_ moving her blouse to show cleavage. I looked, not going to lie and say I didn't. If this was all I was getting now, some pediatrician cleavage, I'd take it.

"Call me if you have any more questions," she said.

Once she was gone, I put Little One back in her car seat and kissed her forehead. She was still upset, but the crying had stopped.

"Did you see that?" I asked, smirking. "Yeah, I still got it."

. . . . .

I spent the afternoon with Little One in my arms or in her car seat next to me. She liked the warm cloth against her ear. It probably reminded her of a bath, which I did give her, even though she didn't need it. I was pretty fucking relieved when she took the amoxicillin with the ounce of formula. She didn't even seem to notice the difference. She just drank it, and then took a little more regular formula. Not as much as usual, but I couldn't blame her. I refused to eat when I was sick, too. Like father, like daughter, I suppose.

"You know what I'm missing today?" I asked her as she stared up at me, groggily. "Work. I love my job. If I didn't, you know, love you too, I'd be pissed." She yawned and stretched her little hands as she got comfortable in my arms. "But you needed me, so I'm here."

Soon after she fell asleep, I laid her down in her crib so I could get some rest of my own. I was fucking exhausted after staying up all night with her. I kept her monitor next to me as I laid down after setting an alarm to wake me up at four — when her next dose of medicine was.

Sofia didn't let me have a nap, though. She woke up, crying again after twenty minutes. But as soon as I had her in my arms, she stopped and fell back asleep. The little one was trying to kill me, swear to God. I brought her into the living room with me and laid down on the couch. She stayed asleep as I held her against my chest.

I stayed awake with her, fighting off the serious fucking need to sleep until four o'clock. Little One wasn't happy with me waking her up for the medicine, but she did take it, though not without a fuss.

"I know you hate it, but you have to take it," I said, running the nipple over her pursed lips. "You don't want to see the alternative, and I don't want to do that to you."

After she took the medicine, I tried to give her a normal bottle, but she refused. She actually started screaming as I tried to coax her to open her mouth again. I eventually put it down and lay back down with her again. Apparently, she just wanted to keep sleeping.

. . . . .

I was jolted awake by the sound of knocking on my front door. Sofia was still sound asleep on my chest. I held her against me as I sat up and walked over to the door. I was exhausted and would have been pissed if it were anyone else, but seeing New Girl when I opened the door woke me right up and put a smile on my face.

She had food, after all.

"I figured you wouldn't be cooking tonight," she said, smiling warmly, her eyes zeroing in on the little one in my arms.

"You would be right in that assumption," I said. "Come on in."

New Girl came in and put the casserole dish on my kitchen counter as I laid Sofia down in her bouncer. Thankfully, she didn't start crying the moment my arms left her. She stayed asleep, looking peaceful.

"Where are your plates?" Bella asked as I walked into the kitchen.

"Cabinet right above you," I said, opening it for her before going over to sit down on a bar stool.

"Tired?" she asked, opening three drawers before finding the silverware.

"Exhausted," I said. "She kept me up all night last night."

"She was asleep when I left. Did she wake back up?"

I nodded as she spooned the . . . I wasn't exactly sure what it was out of the dish. "It was understandable. She has a pretty bad ear infection."

"Aww, poor girl." She frowned, handing me the plate and fork. "It's shepherd's pie. Is that okay?"

"I'll try anything," I said, taking a bite.

She looked at me as I chewed, nibbling on her lip. I wanted to laugh. She was nervous I wouldn't like it.

"This is delicious," I said, making her smile.

"I'm glad you like it, Edward. It's kinda my . . . comfort food."

"Some damn good comfort food," I laughed. "Any reason you made comfort food?"

"I thought you might need it. You were pretty distraught last night."

"I, uh . . . I was worried about her."

She nodded, bringing a plate over and sitting next to me. "She's going to be fine, right?"

"Yeah, she's on antibiotics, and I just have to keep giving her the Tylenol for pain and fever. The fever isn't too bad right now."

"That's good." She smiled. "Hey, look at it this way, who could ask for a better father than a doctor when they're sick?"

I laughed. "I'm not sure it's a good thing. A little, nagging bitch called 'worst case scenario' keeps popping into my head."

"But she'll be fine. You said so yourself."

I nodded, continuing to eat. "So, summer is coming up, right?"

"It is the middle of May," she teased.

"You get off of work, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. A whole two months without anything to do . . . I'm going to wind up cleaning out my dad's house. I just know it."

"Why?"

"Because he _never_ throws anything away, and when I have free time on my hands, I clean. My apartment will be spotless as soon as the excitement of not having to work wears off."

"Wanna clean mine?" I smirked, hoping to win her over.

"No, thank you. And it looks like you're doing just fine."

"Damn."

As I took another bite, Little One started crying. I moved to get up, but Bella stopped me.

"Can I?" she asked.

I smiled. "Yeah, thanks."

I finished my plate as New Girl brought Sofia into the kitchen. Little One was resting her head against Bella's shoulder as her eyes zeroed in on me.

"I think she's wet," she said as I wiped my mouth.

"Not surprising. Here," I said, holding my hands out, "let me go change her."

"Are you done eating?"

"Yes, and it was delicious. Thank you," I said, taking my daughter. "Do you want to stay for a little while? Maybe watch a movie? I have a massive collection."

She bit her lip and nodded before a smile crept onto her face. "I'd love to."

"Pick one. They're in the cabinet next to my TV."

. . . . .

After changing her, I took Little One's temperature. It was just around one-oh-one, so that was good. I wished it were lower, but I had to wait for the antibiotics to do their job. I picked her back up and she moved her little hand to the back of my head, grasping my hair. She didn't pull, so I let her do what she wanted. She'd let go quickly anyway.

When we came back into the living room, New Girl was still picking a movie. Her fingers traced each DVD case as she read the title.

"Find anything?" I asked, laying Little One down in her bouncer.

"I'm not sure we share the same interests in movies," she said, pulling one out.

"Shit," I said, grabbing it from her. "It was a gag gift, I swear."

She tried to hide her laughter. "I'm sure it was."

"I don't _need_ porn, woman."

She nodded, smirking. "I'm not judging."

I was going to murder Emmett the next time I saw him, and then probably kill myself for putting it in there.

After throwing the old, swear to God, gag gift away, I came back out to find New Girl putting a DVD in the player. When I asked her what she picked, she just told me to watch. I sat down on the couch, and she settled in closer to me than the other armrest. Her knee was close to touching me as she pressed a few buttons on the remote.

I didn't mind it.

"I was actually surprised to find this," she said, looking over to me. "I didn't take you for the animated movie type."

Shit, she found _Happy Feet_ , didn't she? I realized I shouldn't accept DVDs as gifts anymore, and I _really_ shouldn't put them in the cabinet. Why couldn't she have picked _Transformers_ or some shit?

Just as I expected, the title menu revealed she did, in fact, pick _Happy Feet_. I groaned as it started. When I looked over to her, I realized she was smiling.

"You like this movie?" I asked as she turned the volume down so it wouldn't wake the little one, who was sleeping again.

"I do," she said. "You don't?"

"It was a gift . . . from my mom. I think she was being funny."

"So you haven't seen it?"

I shook my head. "I'm surprised the wrapping was off."

"Well, it was. And you'll like it, I think. It's cute. You should probably get used to movies like this. Sofia will love them."

"So watching _Saw_ with her wouldn't be a good idea?"

Her mouth fell open. "No! If you ever make her watch _that_ , I will personally report you for child abuse."

"Harsh. I was kidding," I laughed. "And I'm not sure that would be considered child abuse, just so you know."

"It should be. Those types of movies are terrible."

"You don't like horror movies?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't."

"Damn. I should have picked the movie then. We could have gotten you over that aversion."

"I would have left," she said. "Now watch the dancing penguins and envision your future."

The dancing penguins weren't _that_ terrible. Well, they weren't great, but I survived. New Girl apparently had a thing for penguins because she loved the movie. It obviously wasn't her first time or second time, possibly even third time seeing the movie. Little One even decided to wake up and enjoy it, not that she actually understood a damn thing. She lay contentedly in New Girl's arms.

"It's time for more Tylenol," I said, standing up and stretching after noticing the clock.

"She acting a lot better," Bella said, running her fingers over Sofia's cheek.

"Yeah, but she has her moments. Watch your hair."

"Ah, she's pulled your hair," she laughed softly. "I guess that's what happens when you have crazy hair."

"Hey, I like my hair, thank you very much."

"I didn't say I didn't."

I smirked. "You like my hair."

She blushed and chewed on her lip. "Go get your daughter's medicine."

. . . . .

I wasn't comfortable with taking Little One to daycare when she was sick, so Mom agreed to watch her for me. It was either that or not working, and Dad wasn't too keen on that option.

"She's been sleeping a lot since she doesn't feel well," I told Mom. "She's also been really moody."

"I don't blame her," Mom said, kissing Sofia's cheek. "Poor girl."

"Yeah, I don't like seeing her this way."

She looked up and smiled. "It's because you love her, and you don't like her not feeling well."

"I know."

She cocked an eyebrow. "You know?"

"I love her, okay?"

She grinned and threw an arm around my neck, almost squashing Little One between us. "I knew you'd realize it. It's something, isn't it?" she asked, pulling away. "That love for a child."

"It's . . . different, but it's a good feeling."

"One of the best feelings in the world. Just wait until she can say it to you. I swear, sweetie, your heart will swell."

I ran my hand through my hair and smirked. "My neighbor thinks Little One loves me, too."

"Well, your neighbor is a smart woman because she does. This little girl loves her daddy." She smiled, passing me back Sofia.

I kissed the little one's cheek and whispered I loved her, trying it out. It still seemed a little odd to say. I mean, I only figured it out two days ago, and I didn't exactly just figure it out. I had help from New Girl. But honestly, love was the only way to describe the feelings I had for Sofia. It just seemed . . . right.

"I'll pick her up when I get off," I said, giving her back to Mom. "Call me if you have any issues, or if her fever rises."

"I will," she said.

"And make sure you give her the medicines right on schedule."

"You've told me when to give them. I will, Edward. I've had sick babies before."

"Okay, well, I'll see you later. Thanks."

"You're welcome. Have a good day!"

. . . . .

As I stood at the nurse's station, I caught two nurses looking at me. I turned my head, and they looked away. I went back to my chart, but heard their soft whispers that I couldn't quite make out. What the fuck? I looked over again and found one of them with their mouth agape.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

The other one shook her head. "Not a thing, Dr. Cullen."

I cocked my head. "Juicy new gossip?"

They continued to shake their heads as I closed the chart and walked away. I was . . . well, I was fucking curious. I wanted to know what they were saying about me, and I knew Jasper would know. I got on the elevator and went upstairs to the ICU, looking for him. I found him sitting down, going over charts.

"What's the gossip about me?" I asked.

He looked up. "I wouldn't exactly call it gossip since it's true."

"What?"

"Jessica saw you with Sofia, leaving the pediatrician's office. She was running an errand."

My face fell. "Are you telling me everyone knows I have a kid?"

He nodded. "But really, Edward, did you think you could hide it?"

I put my head down on the counter and groaned. Did I think I could hide it? Well, no, but I did think my personal business should stay personal. I could already hear the rumors about how I fucked up — about who Sofia's mom was.

"Don't worry about it, man," Jasper said. "Hey, now you can brag to others about the things she does," he laughed.

"I don't 'brag'."

"Also, some women find dads to be hot."

"Already knew that, but thanks."

He smirked. "Don't let them get to you. Be, you know, proud."

"Proud that I knocked up a twenty-two year old and have a bastard child?"

"Dude."

"Proud that I have a daughter who I love?"

"Exactly. Now, go and show those gossiping women a picture of Sofia and you. They'll be so overwhelmed with swooning they won't think about where she came from," he laughed.

I pointed and smirked. "Good idea. Use it to my advantage."

"Just don't use it to get them into bed. You're trying to change now, young one."

"Seriously? Young one?"

He smirked. "Just leave me alone. I have actual work to do."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Food For Thought**

"No, Mom," I said, holding Little One.

Since I hadn't wanted to take her back to daycare yet, Mom was still watching Sofia for me. It was Friday, though, and she was doing a lot better, so I planned on taking her back to daycare on Monday, even though she was still taking her antibiotics. I called and they said they could accommodate, as long as she wasn't still running a fever.

"Oh, come on, Edward, it'll be fun!" she said, trying to give me the pamphlet.

"I'm not taking a Mommy and Me class. I'm not a mom."

"That doesn't matter. Dads are welcome," she said. "It's fun, honey, I promise. I took them with Rosalie."

"I don't have time."

She forced the pamphlet into my hand. "Find the time. Just pick a day you're off and see if they have a spot available. It's only an hour."

"Fine," I sighed, not actually planning on going through with it.

She smiled. "Good. Sofia will enjoy it."

"Sofia enjoys sucking on my finger, bathing, and eating. I see no reason to go to a class to give her enjoyment."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "The only places she sees regularly are your apartment, the daycare, and here. You don't even take her to the grocery store. Everyone at work knows, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes."

"Then you have no reason to hide her. Go to the class, Edward. Take your daughter places."

"You make it sound like I'm ashamed of her."

"Prove you're not."

I stuffed the pamphlet in my jacket pocket and ran my hand through my hair. "All right. We'll go, but we may never go back."

"Just try it. Do it for her." She smiled. "And for me."

"I can't exactly deny you," I said, smirking.

She stood on her toes as I leaned down and let her kiss my cheek. "No, you can't."

. . . . .

Since Little One was feeling better, Dad decided it was time to put me back on the call schedule. Truthfully, it was probably Emmett and his damn whining that pushed him to do it. So for this weekend, I had to be ready to go back to the hospital if I got a call.

"So you'll be able to watch her, right?" I asked Bella as she played with Sofia on the floor of my apartment.

We just had dinner again. This was the fourth night in a row, actually. I fucking loved her cooking.

"I guess, but I have plans with Alice tomorrow," she said.

"Not at night, right? I'll only need you then."

She raised her eyebrows. "Um . . . okay. I guess I can do that."

I smiled. "Great, thanks."

"So tonight and tomorrow night I have to be ready to take her at any time?"

I nodded. "And Sunday night. You're okay with that, right?"

She smiled a little. "Uh, sure. I like spending time with Sofia."

I tickled Little One's belly, making her giggle. "I'm glad," I said. "Hey, is there any way you can watch her next weekend? Well, just Saturday."

"You have to work next weekend, too?"

I shook my head. "No, but my parents are renewing their vows. I'd rather not bring her with me."

"Oh, good for them. You'll be home later in the evening, right? It won't be all night?"

"Not like I have a date," I sighed. "Yeah, I'll be home after it's all over. Before ten, I'm sure."

"Okay, I can do it."

"Did you have plans that night?"

She shook her head. "No, I was just . . . curious."

"Great! You're the best, Bella."

She blushed a little and turned her head back to Little One, playing with her again.

. . . . .

Thankfully, I didn't get called in Friday night. Little One and I spent the evening alone after Bella went back across the hall. She gave me leftovers, though. I realized that I was beginning to solely depend on her for cooking. I wasn't the greatest cook. Not even close, actually, and I doubted I'd always have Bella to cook for me.

"I'm probably going to wind up starving you," I told Sofia as she watched me eat the leftovers from her bouncer by my feet. "Either that or it'll always be fast food, and you'll be obese. Being the good doctor I am, I can't allow either of those options."

She opened her mouth, giggling and dropping her pacifier.

"That really wasn't funny," I laughed, leaning down off the couch and picking it up from her chest. She cooed and accepted it again, lifting her hand up to touch it. "What I'm trying to say is that I should learn how to cook. You're going to start eating baby food and cereal soon, so I'm good for a while, but eventually, I'll have to actually cook for you."

She kicked her little legs and flailed her arms like I was the most hilarious guy in the world. She was probably just in a playful mood.

After I finished eating, I got on the floor with her to play. She was all for it, trying to roll over on me. She was getting pretty damn good at that, and early, too.

"How do you feel about grocery shopping?" I asked, rubbing her back as she lifted her head and chest off the floor. "Mom says I don't take you places, so I'm trying to change that. I guess jogging in the park doesn't count, since I've never seen anyone I know there."

She grunted and rolled over again, smiling and flailing her arms like a turtle stuck on its back, except she was happy. She could somewhat get on her side, but hadn't mastered the back to tummy roll quite yet. She was close, though.

I picked her up and kissed her cheek, making her giggle even louder. "You like that, huh?" I asked before blowing a raspberry on her cheek. She _really_ laughed. Like a full out belly shaking laugh. I fucking loved when she did that.

. . . . .

After her car seat was safety secured on the cart, Little One and I started making our way through the store early Saturday morning. She was keen on spitting her pacifier out. Luckily, I was just that good and caught it before it could fall on the disgusting ground, ending up in the nearest trash can. She happily played with the small, stuffed, dangling toys that hung from above her. Best. Attachment. Ever. Seriously, the whole entertaining herself thing was fucking great.

"Hi, Dr. Cullen," a female voice said, catching my attention.

I turned around and found the nurse who gave me a cupcake a while back standing there, small basket in hand. Was it sad I honestly couldn't remember her name? It wasn't like I worked with her much. I knew my scrub nurses' names, but that was mostly because I didn't want to be a dick and call them nurse. I only saw Cupcake Nurse if she was on duty when I was on her floor. Learning her name didn't seem necessary.

"Hey," I said, faking it like a pro.

"Wow, so the rumors are true?" she asked, looking at Little One. "She's adorable!"

I smiled proudly. She was fucking adorable. "Thank you."

She came closer and cooed at Sofia, who dropped her pacifier again and smiled a gummy smile.

"What's her name?" she asked.

"Sofia."

"Aww, that's so precious! She is just the cutest baby!" she said, ticking Little One's tummy.

I wanted to laugh at the fact Little One didn't giggle. If Bella or I did that, she'd be giggling like crazy. In fact, she started getting fussy and squirmy.

"Oh, I guess she's cranky," Cupcake Nurse said.

 _No, maybe she just doesn't like you_ , I thought, smirking to myself.

"Yeah, probably," I lied.

She left Sofia alone and turned back to me. "I brought something to work for you a few days ago, but Jasper said you had to call out."

"Ear infection . . . she needed me at home."

She bit her lip, but it wasn't that . . . I don't know, endearing kind that Bella did. When Cupcake Nurse did it, it looked strange.

"That's so . . . sweet of you to stay home with her," she said.

I shrugged. "Didn't really have a choice."

"Will you be there Monday?"

"Yeah."

She smiled. "I guess I'll need to add a few things to my list then. I'll bring you cupcakes."

Obviously, there was something wrong with me. I _didn't_ want her cupcakes or any other goodies she'd probably offer up. What the fuck was wrong with my dick? Did it even work properly anymore? Cupcake Nurse was hot. She had nice boobs — D cups, actually. The low-cut shirt she was wearing showed them off perfectly. Since picking up girls in a bar was now out of the question, a nurse should have been just fine. My dick should have been begging me, but it wasn't. It was broken. My dick . . . my favorite part of my body . . . was broken. All because of a baby that had, apparently, turned me into a chick.

Times were sad for my dick.

"That sounds great," I lied. "Thanks."

She flashed me a smile and sauntered away, clicking her heels against the floor.

I turned back to Little One and frowned. "I love you, but I blame you for this."

She giggled and batted at a toy before we continued shopping.

. . . . .

As my luck would have it, I got called into the hospital that night with a possible case of appendicitis. I gathered Little One's things up and put them in her diaper bag before pulling the portable crib out of the closet and picking her up out of the bouncer.

"Please, don't give Bella a hard time," I said. "I need her to want to watch you again."

She put her hand in my mouth and giggled. I sighed and pulled it out, kissing it and making her giggle more as I smiled. Her being happy again made me less of a neurotic mess. I was getting on my own nerves with that shit, so it was good she was feeling better.

When she opened her door, Bella smiled sympathetically. "You got a call?" she asked.

I nodded. "Someone's appendix is about to rupture, so I should probably get going."

She held her arms out and took Sofia from me. "How long do you think you'll be?"

"A few hours if it actually is appendicitis. I'll be back some time tonight. Do you want me to just get her in the morning?"

"Um, text me and see if I'm still up. What about medicine?"

"Already gave her, her last dose for today," I said, setting the diaper bag down on her couch. "She'll probably be hungry in two or so hours. Other than that, put her down after feeding her and, hopefully, she'll stay asleep. If you have any issues, I'll give you my cell number and you can call. I call back as soon as I can."

After setting up the crib in her living room and exchanging numbers, I left Bella and Sofia alone. I really fucking hoped Little One would be good for her and not give her a hard time. Or, you know, pull her hair because that shit hurt.

. . . . .

I got home around three and texted Bella like I said I would. She didn't text back, and I didn't hear screaming coming from her apartment, so I assumed all was good. I just went ahead into my apartment, set my alarm clock for seven, and passed out as soon as my head it the pillow.

The next morning, I went across the hall and knocked on Bella's door to get Little One. She didn't answer, though. I checked my phone and didn't have any missed calls or texts.

Weird.

I trusted Bella, right? She seemed trust worthy, so I really didn't think I had anything to be worried about. Maybe she and Little One were still asleep. If she managed to keep the little one asleep past six o'clock in the morning, her new name would be Miracle Worker. I'd also be jealous and force her to tell me her secret. The kid never slept in for me.

Around eight, I tried again, and this time, she answered the door with a smile.

"We just got up," she said. "I'm making her bottle now. Come in."

I walked in and found Sofia in the crib, eyes open and smiling. "She slept until eight?" I asked in complete disbelief.

"She did." She smiled, shaking the bottle. "She didn't really go down until after one, though."

I picked Little One up and pressed my lips to her cheek. "Did she give you trouble?"

"Not really. She cried for a bit after she realized you weren't coming back, but we played a little and she calmed down. She took about an hour nap around ten, and then was hungry."

"What did you do with her?"

"We just hung out. She was very good, Edward."

Apparently, my facial expression was funny because she started laughing as she held her hands out. I gave her Little One, and she sat down on the couch.

"Oh," she said, putting the bottle down on her coffee table. "She needs her antibiotic, right?"

"In an hour, but you can go ahead and feed her if you want," I said, sitting down next to her. "So she really did good with you?"

She smiled as she held the bottle for Sofia. "Yes. Is that so hard to believe?"

"The last time I left her alone overnight she gave my parents issues. I just . . . I can't believe she did so well."

"Well, she did. We had a good time, huh, Sofia?" she asked.

"Wow . . . what the hell did you do?"

She laughed. "What?"

"I'm just . . . surprised, is all. And a little jealous."

"Maybe she just likes me," she teased.

"Apparently." I smirked. "You're great with her."

"She's a good baby, Edward. And she's so much fun! I even read to her, and she adored it, I think."

"What'd you read?"

She looked back down at Little One, avoiding me. " _Wuthering Heights_."

"You read my daughter _Wuthering Heights_?"

"Only a little."

"I'm pretty sure that's above her comprehension level," I laughed. "But if that's what it takes to make her sleep in on weekends, I'd do it."

"I think she just likes it when people talk."

I smiled and ran my thumb over Sofia's hand. "She really does. She doesn't like funny faces, though."

She looked up at me and smirked. "She likes my funny faces."

"Oh, yeah? Let's see it."

Her cheeks grew red as she nibbled on her lip. "I was kidding."

"No, you weren't. Do one."

She looked back down at Little One, stuck out her tongue, and shook her head. I burst out laughing. Her cheeks got brighter as she peeked up at me. A chunk of her hair fell onto her face, and I raised my hand to push it away. Thankfully, I realized what I was doing and stopped myself before shit got awkward. She tucked it behind her ear herself, not even noticing I was about to.

"That was, uh . . . nice," I said, trying to shake off that strange feeling.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm never doing that again, just so you know."

"Come on, Sofia likes it."

Little One hadn't even bothered to stop eating, actually, so that wasn't really proven.

"Let's see yours then," she said.

"No, but only because mine scares her. It's very frightening."

She laughed softly. "Well, you do seem like a very frightening guy, after all."

"Downright terrifying."

Once the little one was finished eating, Bella burped her for me. The chick was great with my daughter. Like . . . better than me and probably even better than my mom. Little One adored her. It was clear from how happy she was when Bella played with her, or even just held her. She laughed _a lot_ and never got fussy.

I couldn't help but agree with Sofia's assessment of Bella. The fact that she was so kind and caring made me really like her. She was _real_ and nothing like any of the girls I usually went for. I had no doubt she'd call me out on my bullshit, unlike other girls. She was a . . . challenge. But not the "I want to get her into bed" challenge. Sure, I was attracted to her; it was hard not to be, but it was more than that. I _wanted_ to get to know her better.

This was all so fucking foreign to me.

"Thank you, Bella," I said as she gave me Sofia.

She smiled. "It was my pleasure, really," she said. "If you need me again tonight, I'll be here."

"Actually, I was wondering if you could help me with something else tonight, if I'm not called in, that is."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

This was my chance. "Would you come over to cook again, but this time maybe show me how you do it?"

"Show you how to cook?"

I nodded. "I know basics, but I wouldn't mind learning how the hell it is you make everything so fucking delicious."

She laughed softly. "That sentence could have done without the curse."

"Yeah," I chuckled, "it could have. I'm trying to do better. So . . . will you?"

She bit her lip and it did something to me. "Sure, let me look through my recipes. I'll be over at six."

I grinned. "Thank you."

. . . . .

"I don't think I look too bad," I told Little One as I rolled up my sleeves. "It's better than the usual t-shirt, right?"

She was watching me closely as I made sure the oxford shirt looked all right. Was I _actually_ trying to impress Bella by wearing a nice shirt? Yes, yes, I was. This was my chance to show her I wasn't a complete asshole. She knew me as a father, yes, but as a man, she only knew me as the guy with the revolving door. If I was even to consider trying this, trying to change this drastically, I had to show her I was more than that. I was more than the guy who slept around and said fuck way too much. Was this going to blow up in my face? Most likely, but hey, you never get anywhere without taking a chance. I wanted to take that chance. I wanted to get to know Bella better and let her get to know me better.

Little One was the only reason she was even talking to me. She was my in, but I'd need more than a cute baby. The thing about Bella was she was different. Did I think much about her the first time I saw her? Fuck no. But now, now I was thinking. Now I saw her for more than a pretty face . . . and nice boobs. The way she was with Little One . . . that was a huge deal. The little bit I knew about her made me see her as a person, not just a chick. I just wanted to see more of that.

"All right," I said, looking one last time in the mirror, running my hand through my hair. "You're bathed and fed. The diaper is clean, so let's try to keep it that way for a while, Little One."

I picked her up off my bed and brought her into the living room, laying her down in the swing. She'd either play or nap. I was hoping for nap. Really, I didn't care as long as she entertained herself.

As soon as I heard the first knock, I was heading for the door . . . A little quickly, actually. I opened it up with a smile and found Bella there with two grocery bags, which I quickly took. You know, being the gentleman I was.

"Thanks," she said, walking in as I kicked the door closed.

She headed for the kitchen, and I was right behind her. When I set the bags down, she started pulling the shit out.

"I promise it's not too difficult," she said, smiling. "We're making baked parmesan crusted chicken. I think you'll like it."

"Well, I like chicken and parmesan, so we're off to a good start," I laughed.

"Great. Will you preheat the oven to three-hundred and fifty degrees?"

As the oven pre-heated, Bella started melting butter in a saucepan. She told me what she was doing, but I was mostly just paying attention to _her_ , not her words. It was melting butter, after all. How difficult was that?

"Okay, while I do this will you put the breadcrumbs, cheese, thyme, basil, oregano, pepper, and salt in a bowl for me?" she asked, looking up.

"Uh . . . yeah, okay," I said, confused. "What's what exactly?"

"I have everything premeasured. Just dump all of those cups right there," she pointed, "into a bowl and mix it together."

I did as she said and just dumped it all together, mixing it up until it was all, you know, mixed. She looked at it told me good job. I was pretty sure that was idiot proof, though. Once the butter was done, she came over and pulled the lid off of a dish, reveling three chicken breasts.

"Three?" I asked.

"I know you like leftovers," she said, smiling as she took the dish over near the stove. "Bring the bowl and a plate, please?"

She did one breast, showing me what to do, and then let me do the others. Lather it up with butter then roll it around in the mix until it was coated. Simple. She cleaned out the dish in the sink, and then laid them in it again and popped them in the oven.

"See?" she asked, washing her hands. "Easy, right?"

"That was pretty simple," I said. "How long until they're done?"

"Forty-five to fifty minutes. I'll start the green beans in a half hour. Those are ridiculously simple because they're in a can."

I smirked. "I've done those before."

She laughed softly. "Good, then those are yours to do."

She sat down on a bar stool as I grabbed a bottle of wine out. It was a house warming gift from Mom and Dad, but now seemed like a good time to open it.

"Would you like a glass?" I asked.

"What if you have to work?"

"I'll only have a half of a glass. It won't do anything to me."

"Then sure, I'd love a glass." She smiled. "So, Sofia seemed to be napping."

I looked around the corner and saw Little One zonked out in her swing. Little One was good. Very good. I fucking loved that kid. After handing Bella her glass, I sat down next to her and sipped from mine.

"This is good," she told me. "Thanks for asking me to come over."

I scoffed. "Thank _you_ for doing this. I'll need to know how to cook for Little One when she gets older."

"She would probably like more than just your Mac and Cheese," she laughed.

"So how's work? School year winding down?"

She nodded. "Last day for students is Friday. How about you?"

"Good. Nothing too interesting to report."

She lifted her leg to cross it over her knee as she continued to sip. "What's it like being a surgeon?"

I grinned, glad she asked. It was the perfect way to show her I wasn't a complete asshole. I did care about other things besides sex before Little One.

"It's challenging and rewarding. Honestly, it's the only thing I ever wanted to be. When I'm the reason someone lives, it's a feeling nothing else can compare to. I feel like I've done good. I'm helping people. Though, my favorite part is the medicine . . . the science behind it. Like I said, it's challenging."

"You like to be challenged?"

I nodded. "I do."

"I bet you're a great surgeon."

"Yeah," I laughed.

"You're a little cocky." She smirked.

"I guess I can't deny that."

"No, you really can't. But it's not the worst thing in the world. Self-confidence is a good thing, especially in your line of work. I don't think I'd want a surgeon who doubts himself constantly. As long as you don't go overboard, that is."

"I think I maintain a healthy balance. I'm just the right level of cocky that I can admit when I'm wrong, even though I don't like to."

"Who does?"

"Exactly. Now, tell me more about you. I know your job and why you love it, but tell me something else."

She bit her lip and looked up, thinking. "Like what?"

I shrugged. "Anyone special in your life?"

Was I that obvious? Most likely.

She laughed. "Ha. No, God, no. I broke up with my boyfriend almost a year ago."

Single . . . this was good for me.

"So . . . you could go somewhere with someone and no one would care?"

She cocked her eyebrows. "I don't think anyone has that right, no."

"How do you feel about vow renewals?"

Her mouth fell open, but no words escaped. The glass of wine in her hand fell and hit the counter, splashing us both in red.

Shit.

Fuck.

Damn it.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry," she said, getting up quickly and running for the paper towels.

The front of my shirt was doused in red, so I unbuttoned it and shrugged it off as I stood up. When she turned around to come back, she dropped the paper towels and stared at me, shirtless, in front of her. She recovered quickly, though, and set them on the island, grabbing one for herself.

She could have taken her shirt off too, you know.

"I take it I surprised you?" I asked, still standing there, trying to use this to my advantage.

She nodded. "I . . . you did."

"So, now that you're hands are empty, would you like to come with me?"

"Uh . . ."

Shit. She was going to say no, wasn't she?


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: For the Better**

When Bella didn't continue, I got worried.

Well, fuck.

"That doesn't make me feel hopeful," I said, laughing awkwardly.

She continued to avoid looking at me as her cheeks turned the brightest red I had ever seen. "Can you . . . um, put a shirt on?" she asked softly. "I'll . . . clean this up."

"Yeah, sure. Sorry."

I ran into my bedroom and pulled a t-shirt on, wanting to kick myself for even asking her. It wasn't my plan, swear to God. I just . . . well, we knew each other in such a safe environment. I figured moving out of that environment would be good.

As I walked back toward the kitchen, I checked on Little One, making sure she was still sleeping. She was, thankfully. When I went back into the kitchen, Bella was cleaning off the counter, carefully picking up the broken wine glass.

"Damn it," she hissed, pulling her finger back and putting it into her mouth.

"Are you okay?" I asked, grabbing my trash can and using a towel to dump it all in.

She pulled her finger out and looked at it. "Yeah, I just nicked myself on the glass," she said.

"Let me see."

She hesitated giving me her hand, but eventually sighed and rested it in mine. "It's just a nick."

It was, of course. "I'll get you a Band-Aid . . . while you think about my question."

"Edward, your parent's vow renewal? Really?"

"Yes, really," I said, grabbing the box out of the cabinet. "Let me have you finger back."

"I just . . . wouldn't that be, you know, weird?" she asked as I applied the small Band-Aid.

"Why? I'm asking you to come. It doesn't have to be a date, I guess."

"I thought you wanted me to watch Sofia?"

I shrugged. "She can come with. I'm sure she'll behave."

She still didn't seem convinced. I was pretty sure a 'no' was on the tip of her tongue.

"Please, Bella?" I asked, fucking resorting to begging. "I really want you to come. We had a good time at the bar, right?"

She nodded. "Yes, it was nice."

"Then come. If you're worried about me . . . doing something, I promise I won't."

"I wasn't worried about that. I think you're beyond that by now."

I grinned. "Then just say yes, please?"

She bit her lip, thinking. "Alice will be there, right?"

"Yep. Her and Jasper, so you'll—" I was cut off by the sound of my phone. "Shit. I'll be right back."

I ran into the living room and grabbed my phone off the coffee table. The caller ID said it was Dad, so I quickly answered, just as I heard my pager going off in my bedroom. That couldn't be good.

"Yeah?" I answered, walking through the hallway to my room.

"Did you get the page yet?" he asked.

"Just went off. What's up?"

My pager flashed major trauma and a number across the small screen. Shit.

"Multi-vehicle accident," he said. "I'm on my way in, and so is Emmett. You need to hurry."

Way to ruin a night, idiot fucking drivers. "All right, I'm on my way," I sighed. "See you there."

I grabbed my wallet, threw my phone and pager in my pockets, and went back out to the kitchen. Bella was just putting a pot on the stove for the green beans.

"I have to go," I said. "It was my dad about the hospital."

She turned around and said, "Oh, well, if you have to go, you have to go. Do you want me to clean up?"

"Um . . . do you want to just stay here and watch Sofia? I mean, the chicken isn't even done yet. It's not like you can take it out and finish cooking it over there. What would be the point?"

She nodded. "I can do that, as long as you're all right with it."

I shrugged. "Not like you're going to rob me," I laughed.

She rolled her eyes and smirked. "That wasn't my plan, no. I'll just finish dinner, and then take her back to my place."

"Sounds fine to me. I have no idea when I'll be home, but if I think I won't be back by the time you need to go to work, I'll ask my mom to come get Sofia and take her to daycare."

"Okay." She smiled.

I walked back into the living room to say goodbye to Little One, and she followed a few steps behind me. Even though she was still sleeping, I picked Sofia up out of the swing and held her to my chest, kissing the top of her head. She started squirming, waking up.

"Daddy has to go," I said. "Be good for Bella, okay?"

She started to cry, and I was regretting picking her up, but I didn't feel right just leaving her without saying anything.

"Here, let me have her," Bella said, holding her arms out.

I kissed Sofia again and passed her along. "Bye, Little One," I said. "Thanks a lot, Bella."

She smiled and nodded. "It's no problem," she said as I started to walk away. "Oh, and Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"I'd love to come with you to your parents vow renewal, as long as you're sure."

I grinned. "I'm completely sure. We'll have a good time, you'll see."

She smiled and raised Little One's hand to wave goodbye. "Say 'buh-bye' to Daddy."

. . . . .

"How are you and Sofia doing?" Dad asked.

Dad had invited me to lunch, saying he needed to talk to me. Since cafeteria food was out of the question for him, we came to the deli across the street. If I had known this was just about Little One, I wouldn't have been so fucking nervous. I thought this was going to be about work. To be honest, my . . . performance wasn't what it used to be. I hadn't fucked up a surgery or anything, but I had gotten lazy. I was just so tired this past week with the little one being sick and keeping me up. Her sleep schedule still wasn't what it used to be — the exception being that night Bella watched her. She was back to waking up in the middle of the night, which cut down on my sleep.

To say my charting had become sloppy would be an understatement. I'd had multiple nurses come ask me what the hell it was I wanted them to do. It was dangerous and today, I really saw the effect it had. A nurse almost gave one of my patients the wrong dose of medication because she couldn't read what I had written. Obviously, I was going to do better now, but I figured that was what Dad wanted to talk about.

"We're all right," I said. "She's not sleeping as well as she used to. She went back to daycare yesterday, so hopefully the routine will help."

He nodded. "That's good. Children need a routine. Hopefully, she'll get back to normal soon, but you'll have to adjust if she doesn't. Sometimes that routine changes."

"Well, I fucking pray the new routine isn't waking up in the middle of the night, every single night."

"You know, son, I'm proud of you." He smiled. "You've come a long way in two months. Though, that mouth hasn't."

"Yeah, I know I need to work on that, but thanks. I'm trying to do the best I can for her."

"It does show. Your mother told me you said you loved her."

"I'm surprised she didn't call you the second I left and scream it at you," I laughed.

"No, she waited until I called her." He smirked. "She did squeal a little bit, though."

I took another bite of my sandwich as he did. "Is that all you wanted to talk about? How you're proud?"

He took a drink of his water and nodded. "Yes. I'm sure you feel like I've been harsh on you, putting you back on the call schedule and keeping you from taking days off, but I've done those things because real life isn't easy. You may work for me, but that doesn't mean I'll give you special privileges. But honestly, if I didn't _know_ you could handle it, I wouldn't have. I am keeping you off night shifts for now, though. I'm fully aware you don't have the resources to work those and make sure Sofia is being taken care of, without depending on your mother, that is."

I could have said that I had Bella, but honestly, I was pretty sure she wouldn't go for that. She was already doing enough for me as it was by watching her when I was on-call. I wasn't a big enough dick not to realize taking advantage of her would be wrong. Looking back, she seemed a little put off by what I did this past weekend, just assuming she'd watch Sofia. Of course I didn't see that right away. I mean, I asked plenty of times if she was okay with it. Now though, she did seem a little odd, so I figured leaning on her for everything wouldn't be the best idea.

"Nights did have me worried, so thank you," I said. "And everything else I can work out. Weekends on-call are only once a month, so I do have someone for then."

"Your neighbor, right?"

I nodded. "Bella. And I'm actually bringing her with on Saturday."

He cocked his head. "You're bringing a date?"

"I guess it's technically just bringing a friend."

He smirked. "You have a friend who is a girl . . . that's different."

"I know, right?" I laughed. "How about that?"

"That's good, son. I'm glad you're starting to see woman differently. Though, I still don't understand how you came about your views."

I shrugged. "They're hot."

He rolled his eyes. "Your mother and I taught you better than that. You were fine until you left for New York. I think you realized you could use what you look like to your advantage, but somewhere along the way, you changed entirely. Do you understand how bad that hurt your mom?"

"What? That I slept with woman?"

"That you used them."

"I . . ." I really didn't have a point to argue. I did use them. "You're right. I did, but that's over now."

"Having a daughter has changed you for the better."

"Yeah, it really has."

He smiled. "So what is she like? This girl who's watching my granddaughter?"

"She's great with Little One. She's better with her than I am," I chuckled. "Part of me is jealous my kid likes her better."

He laughed. "I promise she doesn't. But other than how she is with Sofia, what's she like?"

"She's kind, smart — a teacher, actually — and really just . . . different. I actually enjoy being around her, and I want to get to know her better."

"Your mother is going to ask this when she sees her on Saturday, so I'm going to ask now. Are you sleeping with her?"

"Honest to God, no. She really is just a friend; though, I am trying to get to know her better because I think I could actually like her."

He nodded. "Good, but be careful. This isn't just about you anymore. There's a little girl involved now."

"Yes, I know and my daughter comes first."

He grinned. "Exactly. Now, let's get back to work. I believe you have charts to fix, yes?"

Shit.

"It won't happen again."

"It better not. But if I thought it would, we would've been having a completely different conversation today."

. . . . .

"I have a baby against my chest, and you want me to stir?" I asked Bella.

Tonight, she was showing me how to make her spaghetti, because let's face it, it was fucking delicious, and I really wanted it. I wasn't exactly paying as much attention as I should have been when she was telling me what all went into it, but she had the recipe written down for me, so I was good.

She laughed and put the bread in the oven before coming over and pushing me over to the stove. "We humans were lucky enough to be given two arms," she said, taking my hand off Little One's back and putting a wooden spoon in it, guiding it to the pot "Look at that. You're holding a baby _and_ stirring. It's amazing."

"Oh, you're being a smart ass now?" I smirked.

"You're the one who's refusing to put down the baby."

"She's been fussy this evening. I think she just wants daddy time."

She smiled and laughed softly. "You should say 'daddy' more often. It's cute."

"Did you just call me cute?"

She rolled her eyes. "No," she scoffed. "The word is cute. That's all."

"Uh-huh, _sure_ ," I teased.

"Keep stirring," she ordered, going back to the island where she was chopping up lettuce.

"Can you believe her, Little One? She's being a bit bossy, huh?"

"She'd side with me," she said, looking over her shoulder and smirking. "We girls need to stick together against you."

Bella had definitely lost the awkwardness she had the other night when I asked her to the vow renewal. Now she seemed fine, but I still didn't understand why she was so hesitant and awkward. Or why she told me to put a shirt on as she avoided looking at me. As cocky as it sounded, I was fully aware that I did not look bad without a shirt. It must have been distracting.

When Bella said dinner was about done, I went ahead and made Little One her bottle. Bella set the table, and I sat down and fed my daughter, looking up every once in a while to find Bella watching me. She'd quickly look away, though, as I smirked to myself.

"Have you found something to wear for Saturday?" I asked, making conversation.

"Alice and I went shopping today after work," she said. "Apparently, we're all going together, according to her."

"Oh, we are?"

She nodded. "That's what she's decided. You know, she's extremely nervous. I've never seen Alice panic, but today I did."

"She's afraid of Jasper's mother," I laughed. "Although, I can't say I blame her."

"Yeah, Jasper told her his mother is . . . a little strange. Was that putting it nicely?"

Little One needed to hurry because she just sat the plates of spaghetti on the table. It was cruel to put that in front of me when I couldn't just dig in, since my hands were full.

"Well, she's definitely strange," I said. "Emmett would call her insane, but she's not _that_ bad. He just holds a grudge against her."

"Do I want to know?"

"It involved a BB gun and Emmett's ass."

"Ah, then no, I don't want to know," she laughed. "Is she about done?"

The bottle was almost empty, thank God. "Looks like it."

"Do you want me to burp her?"

Angel. I swear to God this woman was an angel or some shit.

I smiled. "That'd be great. Thanks."

Bella got even better when she said I could start eating as she burped the little one. I was about to start drooling, so that was good. I dug in and went to heaven. I was even moaning a little, making her laugh softly.

"You act like you're a starving man," she laughed.

"Maybe I am," I said with a mouthful, making her laugh even harder.

"Don't choke. I can burp a baby, but I'm not sure I'm up for the Heimlich Maneuver on a grown man," she said, wiping Little One's mouth. "I think she's good. Do you want me to put her in the swing?"

I nodded. "Yeah, she'll play and probably doze off."

As Bella went to put Sofia in the swing, I continued to stuff my face with as much food as possible.

"So, Alice said we'd leave here around five on Saturday," Bella said, sitting back down in front of me. "Is that okay or do you need to be there earlier?"

"That's fine," I said. "The ceremony starts at six, so it gives us plenty of time."

"Good." She smiled. "Alice is coming over early because she wants to do my hair. Apparently, I'm not capable."

"Well, I think she's wrong. Your hair always looks great."

Her cheeks heated up again and she nibbled on her lip. God, that fucking nibble. It did something to me, so did that blush.

"You always blush," I said. "Why?"

She shrugged. "I can't exactly control it. I always have when I get nervous or . . . you know."

"When I compliment you?"

She nodded.

"So when I'm not complimenting you, and you blush, it means I'm making you nervous?" I asked.

"I don't know. It just happens sometimes."

I smirked. "Well, I like it, and I'm making it my mission to make you blush as much as possible."

"What?" she laughed. "That's cruel."

I shrugged. "Maybe I'm cruel then."

She rolled her eyes. "Then I'm making it my mission to stop blushing."

"Ah, but you can't. It's a bodily function you have no control over." I grinned. "But apparently, I have some control over it."

"Asshole."

I laughed. "You're doing it again."

"Shut up and eat."

I took another bite and watched her. She brought a napkin up to cover her smile. Damn, she was fucking cute. I was actually looking forward to seeing her on Saturday. If she was this beautiful now, I couldn't imagine what she'd look like then.

Was I . . . falling for her? Was this what it felt like? Hell if I knew, but I was feeling _something_ I hadn't felt before.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Family Affair**

"Are you nervous?" Jasper asked, laughing.

I was fixing my tie . . . again. It was crooked and pissing me off. I fucking hated ties, but Rosalie's glare when I said I was wearing a clip-on honestly scared the shit of me. Apparently, clip-on ties were not acceptable for your parents vow renewal. Who knew?

"No, this thing is just pissing me off," I said, undoing it again. "Think Rosalie would notice if I wore the clip-on?"

"Your sister? Yes, yes, she would. I wouldn't even attempt it."

"Well, then she can fucking tie it for me when we get there," I said, giving up.

Yes, I was admitting defeat to a damn tie. Jasper laughed as he passed me Little One, who was refusing to be put down. I was praying she'd cut it out soon because if she disrupted the ceremony, I'd be a dead man, thanks to my sister. Rosalie had planned every single detail with Mom, basically making this thing her mission. She was fucking insane when she got married, and I never thought she could get worse, but I was so damn wrong.

When I told her I was bringing someone — effectively screwing up her seating arrangements — I thought she was going to jump through the phone and strangle me. She was _pissed_ , and then she pissed me off by insinuating Bella was another one of my "whores". The chick was going bat-shit crazy. I had to wear a blue tie, and Sofia had to be in a blue dress because apparently, I needed to coordinate with my daughter. None of this made any fucking sense to me, and I was so damn happy this was about over. Don't get me wrong, I was happy for my parents, but my sister was making this the second worst occasion in my life — after her wedding, of course.

"I'm so glad you're bringing Sofia," Jasper said. "She'll occupy my mom and keep her from interrogating Alice."

I rolled my eyes. "You're not allowed to use my kid to keep your mom busy."

"Come on, she loves babies." He smirked. "It's win-win. You'll get a break from Sofia, and my girlfriend won't break up with me."

"I thought your mom wasn't that bad?" I asked as someone knocked on my door.

"Yeah, I lied. I'm fucking worried," he laughed as I opened the door.

My jaw about hit the floor when my eyes landed on Bella, who was standing there with a smile. I barely even noticed Alice standing next to her. Her hair was down and curled, and she wore a blue dress that . . . was cut just fucking right, let's just say. The fact that it was blue made me want to laugh. Did Rosalie get to her? Honestly, she looked beautiful. As I stared, she blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You look . . . beautiful," I said, smiling.

"Thank you, Edward," she said. "You do, too. And Sofia looks so cute! Can I have her?"

"Yes, please, take her," I said, passing Little One over. "She's been clingy today."

"Oh, Bella!" Alice said. "You said Sofia was cute, but this little thing is precious."

"She looks like her father," I said, smirking.

"Oh, yes, Edward, you're precious, too," she laughed.

As the two of them fawned over Sofia, I finished putting the things into her diaper bag so we could leave. I had extra everything, just in case. I was prepared for anything Little One could throw at me — even put in a t-shirt for myself in case things got messy. Over prepared? There was no such thing when it came to the little one.

"You're not wearing a tie?" Bella asked as I threw the bag over my shoulder.

Jasper laughed. "He couldn't tie it."

I narrowed my eyes at him as Bella asked, "Do you want me to?"

"If you wouldn't mind," I said, breaking my glare at Jasper and smiling at her.

I grabbed the tie from the diaper bag and passed it to Bella, who commented on the color matching Little One's dress. Her hands worked quickly to have it in the perfect knot as I watched her face. She bit her lip as she concentrated on getting it just right. When she was done, she put her hand against my chest and looked up, smiling at me. Her eyes looked different, brighter, I guess — really beautiful.

"Perfect," she said, letting her fingers trail down as she dropped her hand. Well, the touching was nice. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," I said, putting the diaper bag over my shoulder. "I just have to load Little One's things into the back of my car."

. . . . .

When we got to my parent's house, I headed upstairs towards Mom's room with Little One in my arms. She was attached to me. I was going to leave her downstairs with Bella, who was going to go ahead and sit down, but she started crying. She never cried with Bella, so I didn't know what the hell was up. Maybe it was all the people? The backyard was already crowded, and Little One had never been around so many people before.

"Oh, good, you're here," Rosalie said as I met her in the hall. "Mom has something to ask you."

"What's that?" I asked.

She smiled and opened the door, motioning for me to go in. "It's actually really sweet," she said. "Do you want me to take Sofia?"

I shook my head. "She won't let me give her to anyone."

"Well, she better figure out how to let go for a little while."

When I walked in, Rosalie headed down the hall for the stairs. I found Mom standing next to her mirror, making sure her dress looked okay.

"So, you're going to marry him?" I teased. "Are you sure about that?"

"Considering the fact that I've been married to him for forty years, yes, I'm sure," she laughed softly. "Aww, you two look adorable!"

I kissed her cheek before sitting down on the bed. "Rosalie helped. And you look beautiful, Mom."

She smile and held her hands out for Sofia. "Thank you, honey. So, how's my grandbaby today?"

I passed Little One along and waited for the crying to start. Amazingly, it didn't. "Fussy, actually."

"She's just a little confused. That's all." She kissed her softly before returning her to me. "The bow is precious."

"Is it straight? She gave me a hard time when I put it in."

That was an . . . understatement. At one point, I accidentally pulled her hair, making her cry. Well, scream was more like it. I wasn't planning on telling Mom that, though.

"It's perfectly crooked like only a father could do," she laughed. "So . . . is Bella here?"

I nodded. "Yeah. She's already outside with Jasper and his girlfriend, Alice."

"Your dad told me what all you said about her." She grinned. "Introduce me to her as soon as you can, okay? I want to meet the girl who _you_ consider a friend."

"The way you and Dad are so proud of me makes me think I should be getting a cake," I laughed.

"You can have some of mine." She smirked. "I'll even let you take some home."

I scoffed. "I wasn't planning on asking. So what's this you wanted to ask me?"

"Well, as you know, your dad and I didn't have a big wedding the first time."

I nodded. "Judge's chambers for you two kids, since Grandpa didn't approve."

"We were only eighteen, but yes," she said. "Since I didn't have that the first time, I was wondering if my favorite son would want to walk me down the aisle?"

I smiled. "Do you honestly think I'd say no?"

She shook her head. "No, but I figured I should ask."

"Yes, Mom, I'll walk you down the aisle."

She smiled and leaned down, hugging me. "Thank you, honey."

"Okay, I'm going to go try to leave Sofia with Bella. I'll meet you downstairs."

I brought Little One back downstairs with me, walking out to the backyard where the ceremony was being held. I found Bella in the first row, where Rosalie must have led her.

"Hey," I said, catching her attention.

She looked up and smiled. "Is it about to start?"

I nodded. "Yeah, and I'm walking my mom down the aisle, so I have to leave Sofia with you. Is that okay?"

"Yep," she said, holding her arms out.

I passed her the little one. "If she starts to get fussy, would you mind taking her into the house?"

She nodded. "Of course."

"Thanks, Bella. Hopefully she won't, but you've seen her today. Mom thinks she's just confused."

"I'm sure she is," she said, kissing the little one's head. "It's a new and maybe frightening experience. She knows Daddy will protect her."

I smirked and ran my fingers over Sofia's cheek. "Of course I will, but Bella will keep you safe from all the scary people, Little One," I chuckled. "So I'll sit down after I give Mom away."

She smiled. "That's so sweet of you to do."

I shrugged. "I can be a sweet guy."

"And you don't look half bad in a suit, either."

I grinned, smugly. "Why, thank you, Bella. And I told you that you look beautiful, right?"

Her cheeks flushed again for me. "Yes, Edward."

"Good, because you do."

. . . . .

"He snores," I said, putting Mom's arm through mine.

"Are you really trying to convince me _not_ to marry your father again?" she laughed.

"I'm just having fun."

"Okay," Rosalie said. "Dad's up there and everything is ready. When the music comes on, start walking."

"We should prance down the aisle, just to get on her nerves," Mom teased.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "I've spent two months planning this thing. You prance, and I will never talk to you again."

"Lighten up, Rosalie," I said. "It's not like it's your wedding. It's not even _a_ wedding."

"Just . . . walk, okay? I'm going to go sit down."

"Thank you, sweetie, for everything you've done," Mom said.

She smiled. "You're welcome. I had fun."

Once the music began, Mom and I started walking. When we could see down the aisle, I looked over and watched Mom smile with her eyes glued on Dad's, who had his glued on her. It was nice that they were still so happy after forty years of marriage. They just got it right, and early, too. When we reached Dad, I kissed Mom's cheek and let her go.

"Thanks, son," Dad said, smiling.

"You're welcome."

I went back to the first row and sat down next to Bella, taking Little One and holding her in my arms. Surprisingly, she looked tired. Her eyes drooped as she snuggled into my chest.

"Nap time," I whispered to Bella.

She looked over and smiled. "That's good."

I rocked Sofia a little as Mom and Dad said their vows, retelling their love and happiness. I noticed Bella had a constant smile on her face as she listened. She even laughed along with everyone else at some of the ridiculous things my parents said to each other. She was really beautiful when she laughed like that — when she smiled like that.

Once the ceremony was over and everyone started to gather for the reception, I took my sleeping little one inside and laid her down in one of the extra bedrooms where I put her portable crib. I put the baby monitor next to her and carried my part in my pocket, so I could hear when she woke up. She'd probably be hungry or need to be changed in an hour or so, so I knew I didn't have long.

"I'll be back, Little One," I said, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Love you."

. . . . .

"Dinner was delicious," Bella said as we stood off to the side, watching Mom and Dad have the first dance.

"Yeah," I said, smirking. "Too bad we have to wait for cake."

She laughed softly and shook her head. "Did Sofia take all of her bottle?"

"Yep, and now Mrs. Whitlock is having a field day with her."

We looked over to one of the tables where Jasper's mom was currently kissing Little One's cheek. She had woken up, crying just as I finished dinner, so I had to bring her back down with me. Thankfully, Mrs. Whitlock was all over her, offering to watch her for me. Jasper just put his hands together and pretended to bow down to me, basically thanking me for keeping her occupied. So far, she seemed to adore Alice, but he didn't want to test his luck by having her be Mrs. Whitlock's sole focus. Well, now the woman was thoroughly distracted by Sofia, so he was good for a while.

"You need to stop letting women hold your daughter, or they'll all fall in love with her, and you'll be out a kid," Bella said. "It's pretty much impossible not to love her, especially after kissing those chubby little cheeks."

I chuckled. "The woman might actually steal my daughter, so let's keep an eye on her."

"My eyes are glued," she said. "Well, partially. Right now I'm watching your parents. They're so in love, you know?"

"Yeah, they've always looked like that."

"Forty years is a long time. It's kind of . . . heartwarming to see that." She smiled. "Makes you believe in soul mates."

I cocked my eyebrow with a smirk. "Why, Bella Swan, you're a hopeless romantic, aren't you?"

She shrugged. "Not really."

"I guess I should have figured, what with your choice of books."

"Maybe I just have a thing for the classics."

"I didn't see any Homer on your shelf." I smirked.

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe you didn't look hard enough. It's not like I allow you in my bedroom, after all."

"I'd find _Romeo and Juliet_ in there, wouldn't I?" I teased. Her cheeks turned my favorite red once more. "Knew it. You're a hopeless romantic through and through, huh? I'm not judging."

"Fine," she sighed. "I'm a hopeless romantic . . . sometimes."

"Is that why you're single? Can't find your Romeo?"

She looked up and cocked her eyebrow. "What? Maybe I'm not . . . looking for that."

I smirked. "All women are looking for that. I used to be the man that kept them occupied while they waited."

"So you're saying you're no one's Romeo?"

I laughed. "I'm not sure I'd fit that category."

She smiled. "Two months ago, I'd have agreed with you."

"And now?" I asked as she jabbed her elbow into my side. "Ow."

"Your parents are coming this way."

My mom came up with a grin, tugging my dad along. She instantly put her arms out and hugged Bella, whose eyes bulged a little in surprise.

"Thank you for coming," Mom said, letting go. "It's so good to meet you, Bella."

"It's good to meet you too, Mrs. Cullen," Bella said. "Thank you for having me. It was a beautiful ceremony."

"You'll have to make sure Rosalie knows that," she laughed. "And call me Esme, please."

"Thank you for coming, Bella," Dad said, holding his hand out. "And before you try it, my name is Carlisle."

"Of course." She nodded.

"Congratulations, you two," I said. "It was nice."

"Thanks, son," Dad said. "Where's Sofia?"

I pointed to Mrs. Whitlock. "If you want to hold Little One, you may have to pry her from Mrs. Whitlock's arms," I laughed.

Mom smirked. "I can take her."

"Down, tiger," Dad laughed. "Are you two having a good time?"

"Yeah, dinner was great," I said. "Bella here was about to start crying as you two danced."

Bella blushed _again_ as she avoided eye contact with Dad. "No, I wasn't. I was just saying that you two looked so in love."

Dad smiled and pulled Mom closer. "Because we are."

"Well, I'm going to try and steal my granddaughter back," Mom said. "You two go dance."

"Are you opposed to dancing with me, Bella?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, but I can't be held responsible if I step on your toes."

"I'm sure I'll be fine." I winked, taking her hand and leading her out to the dance floor.

I placed my left hand on her lower back, keeping it in a respectable place — even though part of me wanted to go a _little_ lower. Her hand tightened in my right as I started swaying us to the slow music. Did I mention how fucking beautiful she looked today? I was finding it hard to keep my mind from wandering. I starting imagining what she was wearing under the dress, since you know, I was a man. I wanted to bet that though she looked like a nice girl, she had a little naughty in her. Maybe she wore a thong . . . or nothing at all. My dick was suddenly coming back to life, and I had to put a stop to my thoughts.

"So, the school year is over?" I asked, trying to think of anything that would get my mind out of the fucking gutter.

She nodded, pressing her head to my chest. "Yep. I survived my first year as a teacher."

"How about that? I technically survived my first year as an attending surgeon, too," I laughed. "We should celebrate."

"I was planning on celebrating with cookie dough ice cream and a movie marathon. That is, until you invited me here."

"Hmm, sitting home alone with a tub of ice cream or dancing with me . . . I'm glad you chose me."

"I'm actually pretty glad I chose you, too."

I smiled to myself as the music changed to something else. It was still slow, though, so I kept moving at the same pace. I was actually pretty fucking thankful that my sister helped pick the music. She liked this kind of shit. This slow . . . romantic crap.

"You're a pretty good dancer," Bella said, looking up at me as I looked down.

I smirked. "My mom made me take ballroom dance lessons when I was a kid," I said. "Would you like me to dip you?"

She laughed softly. "I think I'm good. So dance lessons? I honestly didn't take you for the type."

"I have a few surprises left. Surprise me with something about you."

"I like to fish."

I cocked my eyebrow. "Fish?"

She nodded. "It was something my dad and I did together. Actually, we still do it. We're . . . quiet people. It's nice to just sit and think out in a boat. I rarely catch anything, but when I do, my dad looks so _proud_. I honestly only want to catch something to see that look."

"Well, you definitely surprised me." I smiled. "So Bella Swan likes fishing, romance novels, cooking, children, and teaching said children. What else?"

"No, now it's your turn. Tell me something else that'll surprise me."

"I played piano when I was younger."

"Were you any good?"

"My mom likes to think so," I laughed. "She thinks I should still play."

"How long did you play for?"

"I started lessons when I was six. I was actually a very well rounded child, so you can't blame my parents for how I turned out."

She laughed. "I wasn't planning on it. But really, you're not that bad. If you were, even a baby wouldn't make me enjoy your company."

"It's good to know you like me for more than just my baby," I chuckled. "It's your turn again."

"I keep a cactus, to remind me of my mother."

"Do you remember her?"

She rested her head against my chest. "Not really, but I keep the cactus because she moved us to Arizona when she left Forks. My dad says she liked the sun and warmth. She always talked about how, someday, she'd leave Forks and go somewhere like that, so he wasn't surprised that she did."

"Were they . . . together?"

"Yeah, high school sweethearts, actually."

"And she just left him?" I asked. "I'm sorry. I know this is a touchy subject."

She shook her head. "It's all right. I'll let you know when I don't want to talk about it anymore. And yeah, she just left. She was a free spirit and wanted to get the hell out of Forks. He knew it wasn't right to stop her, so he didn't."

"And she never told him about you? I mean, personally, I wish Kate had told me she was pregnant. Maybe I wouldn't have been so blindsided then. Fuck, actually, I have no idea what I would have done."

"I don't know why my mom didn't tell my dad, but he wishes she had. He said he would have left Forks for her . . . for us."

The music had changed again, but Bella and I kept dancing like we were. She was _talking_ to me, letting me get to know her, so I wasn't about to change how we were. She did eventually change the subject back to me, asking me when the last time I played piano was. I couldn't even fucking remember.

"Is there a piano here?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?"

She pulled away, keeping my hand in hers. "I want to hear this."

I laughed. "Are you serious?"

She smiled, nodding. "Yes. Play me a song, piano man."

I looked over to see that Dad was dancing with Sofia as Mom watched, smiling. I figured we had a little bit of time, so I led her into the house to the old piano.

I pulled the bench out for her and said, "Sit. I can't promise this will sound good, though."

She walked around and sat down on one end as I sat near the middle. "I won't judge," she said.

I cracked my knuckles and pressed a few keys, starting off simple, making her laugh, actually.

"Even _I_ can play _Mary Had a Little Lamb_ ," she said. "Impress me."

I smirked. "All right. I _think_ I remember the song I wrote for my mom. We'll try that."

"You wrote your mom a song?" She smiled. "That's so sweet."

I shrugged. "I've been accused of being a momma's boy," I laughed.

I started playing, fucking it up massively. I missed a few keys, forgot a few others, but kept playing. It wasn't even close to perfect by the time I finished, but I looked over and saw Bella smiling as she watched my hands. I started again, doing a little better. She wanted to see me play, so I figured I'd keep going for a few more minutes. I kept looking up at her, fucking my playing up, but it was worth it to see her.

"So . . . as you can tell, it's been a while," I said.

"It was good," she said, meeting my gaze. "I enjoyed it."

I smiled. "I'm glad."

She looked back down at my hands on the keys, biting her lip, doing that fucking nibble that I was starting to love. Her hand went over mine, pressing down a key. She moved closer, putting her other hand between mine. She pressed a few more keys. I kept my eyes on her, though, not giving a shit about what she was doing. Without giving it a second thought, I dipped my head, pressing my lips to hers. I felt her stiffen for a moment, but soon, her lips started moving with mine. She didn't fucking push me away and slap me, which could have been an outcome of this. Instead, she lifted her hand and pressed it to the side of my face, turning her body a little. Eventually, she broke the kiss. I looked and noticed her eyes were closed as she panted softly. Her hand was still on my face as I moved mine to hers, brushing a strand of hair away from her eyes.

"I . . . um," she whispered. "That was . . ."

I pressed my lips back to hers, keeping her from saying anything. Our tongues met this time. She was . . . getting aggressive. She moved her hand to my neck and pulled me closer. I heard a quiet moan from her as I rubbed my thumb behind her ear. We parted again, and her eyes met mine. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out.

"I'm not apologizing," I whispered.

Her lips curved into a smirk. "I wasn't going to tell you to. In fact, I was _going_ to say that was . . . nice."

"Edward?" Mom called. "Are you in here? Sofia needs to be—" She froze when she saw the position we were in. "Oh! I am _so_ sorry. I'll just . . . go."

She grinned before turning around, leaving the room just as quickly as she entered.

"I . . . uh, think Sofia needs to be changed," Bella said.

"That was my guess. Do we . . . need to talk about this?"

"Later."

I nodded. "All right, later, then. I'll meet you out back, okay?"

"Yeah, of course."

I smirked. "Thanks for not slapping me."

She laughed softly. "You're welcome."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: First Step**

After changing Little One's diaper, I came back outside and found Bella talking to Rosalie. I rushed over, hoping to spare Bella from anything rude she'd say. I quickly realized the conversation was going great, though. Bella was commenting on the ceremony and reception, telling my sister how beautiful it was. Rosalie was, of course, soaking up the praise.

"There he is," Rosalie said. "And he has my adorable niece. I haven't held her this evening. Can I?"

I passed Little One along. "Where's Ben?" I asked.

"We had a babysitter watch him. I knew I'd be busy, and I didn't want Emmett to have to watch him all evening. Plus, he's been wanting to get into everything. It was just better to leave him with someone."

Did I wish I could have done that with Little One? Hell yes, but I didn't trust anyone with her except Bella, my family, or her daycare. Besides, it was nice to have my daughter around. I kind of fucking loved how everyone flocked to her, calling her cute, precious, or adorable. It was just true. She really hadn't caused much of an issue today anyway, except for right when we got here, and even then, she didn't disrupt anything.

"How old is he?" Bella asked.

"He just turned a year old," Rosalie said, smiling. "He's getting so big."

"Oh, do you have pictures of him?"

"On my phone. I'll go get it." She grinned, passing me back Sofia before turning around and hurrying over to Emmett.

I put my arm on Bella's back and lowered my lips to her ear. "You realize you just made a new best friend by asking to see a picture of Ben, right?" I chuckled.

She tilted her head and smiled. "She's really nice."

"To you, maybe," I scoffed.

"Do I sense some sibling issues?" she laughed.

"She gets on my nerves sometimes."

"That's just because you're her little brother, and I think big sisters are supposed to do that."

I shrugged. "Maybe, but I can guarantee you she won't shut up about Ben for a while, so I'm going to take Sofia here and dance with her. She seemed to like it when my dad did it."

"Oh, I'll be watching that."

The music was now upbeat, so I held my little one in my arms and had fun with it. I was making a fool out of myself, but Sofia was giggling, so I decided not to care. I kept looking over at Bella, who was talking to Rosalie again. She looked up from the phone in her hand and smiled, waving her other hand. I waved Little One's back at her and laughed as Mom came over. She took Sofia's hands, clapping them together.

"You don't know how much joy I get out of this, do you?" she asked.

"Out of what?" I asked. "Me and Sofia, or what you just saw?"

She smirked. "Okay, both. But watching you with your daughter is truly a joy I can't explain."

"You know, I kind of can't imagine my life without her now."

"Good. And now onto the other thing."

"Please, don't?"

"I'll just say I think she could be good for you." She caressed Little One's cheek. "Good for both of you. She seems very nice. Mothers know this type of thing."

"You've barely spoken to her."

She looked over at Bella and Rosalie. "You're right, so I'll go talk to her some more."

"Don't say anything, okay?"

She shook her head. "I won't."

"Because she's shy, and I don't want to scare her off."

She walked away, laughing softly.

Fuck.

. . . . .

"You know, Jasper, I want one of these," Mrs. Whitlock said, holding Little One as we sat at a table.

"Mom," he said, glaring.

"It's all right, Jazz," Alice said. "What mother doesn't want grandkids?"

Obviously, Alice was fucking perfect for Jasper. She seemed to handle anything his mom said with a smile on her face — even the insulting things. Like when she asked if Alice was technically a midget. I about died laughing, and Alice did, too. Jasper didn't find it funny, though. He quickly made sure his mother knew Alice _wasn't_ a midget and that was a rude thing to say. Mrs. Whitlock just took another sip of her wine and gave a half-hearted apology.

"She's a smart one," Mrs. Whitlock said. "So you want kids?"

Alice looked at Sofia and smiled. "Yes, someday."

"Well, you might want to hurry. You're not getting any younger."

"All right," Jasper said. "I think you've had enough to drink. Give Edward his daughter back."

Mrs. Whitlock rolled her eyes as I stood up to get my daughter. "I haven't had that much," she told me, handing Little One over.

"Of course you haven't, Mrs. Whitlock," I said. "We're just being safe. Besides, I need to feed her."

"Aww, I used to love feeding Jasper! He took the boob like a champ."

I tried so hard not to laugh because I knew Jasper would be pissed, but I couldn't help it once I walked away. The woman had no filter, so shit like that kept flying out of her mouth all night, embarrassing the hell out of Jasper.

After feeding Little One, it was time for cake. The evening was about over, and I could tell Sofia was ready to get home. She was getting fussy as we watched Mom and Dad feed each other.

I patted her bottom softly, bouncing a little to calm her. "I think she's worn out," I told Bella.

She took Little One's hand and smiled. "I bet. She's seen all kinds of new things tonight."

"Can we, uh . . . save that talk for tomorrow?"

To be honest, I was kind of fucking nervous about what that talk would entail. Did I want to be in a relationship? Wasn't sure. But did I want to hear the words "let's just be friends"? No. Fuck no, actually, and I feared that. I was being a pussy by trying to put this off, but I just wasn't ready for what she might say.

"Of course, Edward," she said. "We can talk tomorrow. Is that all right?"

She seemed to look relieved, so I didn't know if that was a bad sign or not. Seemed like it'd be a bad sign. Maybe she was just as freaked out by seeing where this could go as I was.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan. I just want to get Sofia in bed and maybe try to get a few extra hours for myself," I lied.

She nodded as Dad began to speak, pulling our attention to him.

"We'd like to thank you all for coming and sharing this momentous day with us," he said. "Now, my wife and I will be heading out for our second honeymoon. If any of you have had too much to drink, feel free to use our house phone for a cab. Again, thank you all for coming and making this a day to remember."

Rosalie and Emmett agreed to stay and make sure everyone headed home, so Bella, Jasper, Alice, Little One, and I were some of the first to leave. When we got back to the apartment building, Alice and Jasper left, leaving Bella and me to head upstairs together. I stopped outside of our doors, trying to figure out how to say goodnight. I could kiss her again, right? Or was that too much without talking about last time yet?

"Sleep well, Sofia," she said, kissing Little One's cheek. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?" she asked.

I nodded. "Do you want to come over for coffee in the morning?"

She smiled. "Sure. I'll be over around nine. Is that all right?"

"Sounds great. Maybe she'll let me sleep in," I laughed.

She caressed my little one's cheek. "Be good and do that for your daddy."

"Well, goodnight, Bella. Thanks for coming."

"You're welcome. I had a great time, so thanks for inviting me."

After a few awkward seconds, I decided to lean down and kiss her cheek. Yeah, that worked. Her cheeks flushed and she turned around, unlocking her door as I went for mine.

. . . . .

Little One was watching me with drowsy eyes as I took her dress off and put her in the pink onesie. She kept yawning, making me laugh a little. It was fucking cute, okay? Her little lips were just . . . yeah. You try not feeling something when seeing that.

"Thank you for doing so well," I said, buttoning her up. "And I'm sorry for letting Mrs. Whitlock assault your cheeks."

I ran my fingers over her chubby cheek, and she sighed, closing her eyes. I picked her up off the changing table and swayed with her.

"So, I kissed Bella today," I said. "She said she liked it, but I'm not sure where to go from here. I'm not a . . . relationship kind of person, but I think I could be for her. She's great, right? You like her. Part of me is just afraid I'll lose her as a friend if this doesn't work out, and I don't want that."

She snuggled deeper into my chest as her hand grasped my shirt. I kept swaying, knowing she'd fall asleep soon.

"Sometimes, I wish you could talk to me," I sighed. "But other times, I'm glad you can't. You'd probably have some words for me." I laughed. "Words I've taught you."

I looked back down to find her eyes still closed. She probably wasn't completely asleep yet, so I sat down in the rocker with her, laying my head back.

"I love you, Little One. You've changed my life for the better. You've made me a better person, a person someone like Bella might want to be with." I smiled. "I think I want to try this. I just . . . feel something for her. Thanks for listening," I laughed. "Well, for falling asleep on me."

I lowered my head and kissed hers softly before standing up and going over to the crib, laying her down and wishing her a good night.

. . . . .

Little One did let me sleep in some, giving me a full eight hours, which astonished me. She was ready to be changed and have her bottle around eight. After she was happy, I laid her down in the swing and grabbed a quick shower. When I was done, I got on the floor and played with her for a little while before starting coffee. Just before nine, a knock came on the door. Bella was right on time, of course.

I opened the door and found her there with a smile. "Good morning," she said.

"Morning," I said. "Thanks for coming over."

I opened the door wider for her, motioning for her to come in. She walked over to Little One, leaning down and kissing her cheek as I went to grab two cups of coffee.

"How do you like yours?" I asked.

"Black."

I cocked my eyebrow. "Black?"

She shrugged. "I learned to like it because of my father."

I smirked. "Same here."

After filling both cups up, I came back into the living room to find her sitting on the couch, bouncing Little One on her knee. She kept kissing her cheek, blowing a raspberry on it, making my daughter giggle loudly. I liked seeing her with Sofia. She was a natural, and I couldn't help but think how lucky it was that she moved in next door to me.

"So... we need to talk," I said, sitting back down on my couch.

She nodded and laid Little One down in the bouncer by her feet. "I think we should. I'm not sure . . . what that meant."

I nodded, taking a sip. "Well, I kissed you because I wanted to — because I like you," I said. "I sound like a fourteen year old boy, huh?" I laughed.

She smiled, setting her cup down after taking a sip. "This is a little awkward."

"I'd have to agree. I've never had to talk about _why_ I kissed someone."

"I'm glad you did, you know? I um . . . wanted you to, but to be honest, I didn't think you would. I thought we were just friends."

"If that's all you want, then we can leave it there," I sighed, hoping that wasn't all she wanted. I liked Bella, and not in the normal way I liked woman, which honestly confused the hell out of me. This . . . kissing a chick . . . it wasn't me. Not even fucking close, actually. But with Bella, I couldn't be _that_ guy. It just wasn't right.

"That's not all I want," she said. "But, to be honest, I don't know _what_ I want. I know I _won't_ be like those other women you've been with, though."

I shook my head. "If there's one thing I have decided, it's that. You're nothing like them, and I won't treat you that way."

"Then there's our start." She smiled, taking another sip. "We can just see where it goes from here, if you'd like."

"Just let it happen?"

She nodded. "I like you, and I want to see how this turns out."

"So we'll give this a shot?"

"I'd like to."

"Well, then I guess I should ask you on a proper date." I smirked. "I promise my mom won't interrupt us again."

She laughed. "God, that was mortifying!"

"I think she liked it," I laughed.

She blushed and nibbled on her bottom lip. I moved closer, brushing my fingertip over her lip. "I fucking love when you do that, Nibbles."

She released it quickly. "Nibbles?"

"Let's just say it's a term of endearment."

She smiled, laughing softly. "I'm not sure I love it."

I pressed my forehead to hers, leaving my lips just centimeters from hers. "Just give it a chance," I whispered before kissing her again.

She wrapped her hand around the back of my neck, weaving her fingers through my hair. I pushed her back against the arm of the couch, spreading myself over her. I ran my hand down her side, bringing it back up and pushing her shirt with it. Her skin was soft and warm. I fucking loved the feel of it. Apparently, I went too high because she brought her hand down over mine and lowered it, but she didn't break the kiss to tell me to stop, so I figured this was okay. I just had to keep it respectable. I could do that. I could do that now, and tonight, spend some time in the shower, imagining what I'd actually like to do.

"So . . . a date?" she asked as we parted.

I nodded. "Yeah, do you want to?"

She smiled and pressed her lips back to mine for a moment. "I'd love to."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Fun For Little One**

I couldn't believe I was actually doing this. A fucking Mommy and Me class, for Christ's sake. I wasn't a mom. I was a dad, but did Port Angeles have Daddy and Me classes? Of course not. When I called to find an open class, I made sure to ask if I was the only dad they had ever had. They swore I wasn't, but as I looked around the room, which was only filled with women, I was beginning to doubt that. I was surrounded by women and crying babies. I realized, though I loved my kid, I still didn't like other's kids. And why the fuck were the moms just letting the kids cry?

"You must be Edward," a woman said, smiling and holding her hand out. "I'm Irina. Welcome."

I shook her hand and tried smiling, hoping I didn't look as miserable as I felt. "Good to meet you," I said.

"And this is?" she asked, motioning to Little One in my arms.

"Sofia."

She tickled my little one's back with a smile. Why the hell did she just touch my kid? "It's so good to have you both here. Go take a seat in the circle and set up. Class begins in five minutes."

The circle was already pretty well formed, but I found a spot with a lot of room between two people. I laid my bag down and sat, laying Sofia across my lap. I spread her blanket out and moved her to her back like some of the other women had done with their kids. I was fucking clueless as to what I should have been doing, so I just sat there, playing with my little one's feet, making her giggle.

"Edward Cullen," someone said. "I can't believe my eyes."

I looked up to find a vaguely familiar face. I couldn't place her, though. It had to have been a while.

"It's Lauren," she said. "From high school?"

"Oh, yeah, of course," I said as realization dawned on me. "It's good to see you."

She sat down next to me with a baby boy. "You, too! God, I can't believe you're back. And with a kid."

"Yeah," I laughed awkwardly. "This is my daughter, Sofia."

"Aww, she's adorable. This is my fourth, and first son, Nick."

"Four, really?"

She nodded. "Tyler can't keep his hands off of me," she laughed.

Oh, fuck. Did not need that visual.

"Tyler Crowley?" I asked.

"Yeah, we got married after high school. What about you? I heard you moved to New York. Have you been back long?"

"A year, actually."

"Huh. This must be your first time here, right?"

I nodded, picking Little One up and holding her to my chest. "Yeah, my mom thought it'd be a good idea."

"Oh, you'll love the class. It's so much fun. Great bonding, too. Is her mom coming?"

"I'm a single dad."

She frowned and rubbed Sofia's back. Why the fuck did everyone want to touch her? "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. We're fine."

Before she could say anything else, Irina came into the circle and sat down across from me. She started off talking to the moms, asking how they had been. I heard about sore nipples, baby's poop colors, and many other disgusting things they really should have been talking to a doctor about. Apparently, this was _share_ time. She quickly moved on to pointing out new people, singling me out.

"Tell us about yourself and your daughter, Edward," she said.

"I'm Edward and this is my daughter Sofia," I said.

She laughed. "Oh, come on! We won't bite. Tell us about _you_."

"Um . . . I'm a surgeon, single, and this is my only kid."

What the hell was I supposed to say? Did they want a life story?

"I bet that's hard, huh? Working full-time and taking care of a baby. You know, as a group, we're here to support each other if you ever need to talk."

"I have plenty of help and people to talk to, but thanks."

Not really, because this was weird. Mom didn't say anything about talking about myself.

She nodded. "How old is Sofia?"

"She's about eighteen weeks."

"That's a sweet age." She smiled. "Now, let's get the class started!"

Irina turned some ridiculous music on and started clapping her hands, singing along to it. What. The. Fuck? There was singing? With Little One in my lap, I clapped her hands together like everyone else was doing, but kept my mouth shut.

Lauren elbowed me, smiling, and said, "Sing along. It's fun!"

Jesus Christ. The words were simple and all, but I didn't want to _sing_. I moved my lips to the lyrics, pretending. I was embarrassed to even be doing that. Little One was giggling, though. Apparently, she liked this. Then again, she liked it when I put my hands over my face and played peek-a-boo. She liked the simple things. There was no need to embarrass myself in public for her, but I did. After Lauren nudged me again, thoroughly pissing me off, I sang a little. I'd _never_ speak of this. I was thanking God no one I actually knew was here to see this shit.

After the fucking awful singing was done, we bounced the kids. I did this at home with her, so _why_ did I need to come to a class? Little One sucked on her fingers, smiling around them as I bounced her on her feet. She kicked her legs, but didn't really give me much help. It wasn't like she could support herself that well yet anyway. We moved on to more activities like that, just moving the babies around.

"So you're a doctor?" the woman on the other side of me asked.

"Yeah."

Had I not just said that?

"You know, us single parents need to stick together," she said. "It's so hard to care for a baby while working."

I nodded. "Yeah, it's not easy."

"And I bet you have grueling hours, huh?"

"Sixty hour weeks are the norm. Sometimes more, actually."

"Wow, and I thought forty hours was hard. How do you make time for her?"

I couldn't tell if she was actually curious or just wanted to talk. She was younger, probably early twenties. The baby in front of her looked about Sofia's age. I noticed underneath her eyes were dark circles, meaning she was probably exhausted. I was tired, too. I would have much rather spent my day off at home, relaxing, but I _did_ want to do something to make Little One happy. Why was she coming here? Same reasons, just trying to be a better parent?

"I spend my evenings with her," I said. "We have a routine, so I think that helps."

She nodded. "Yeah, that's what I do with Kara, but I feel bad I'm not there for her like all these other moms. Plus, I'm going back to school in the fall, and I know that'll cut down on my time with her."

"But school is important. I'm sure she'd rather be taken care of than have a few more hours now. She won't even remember this."

"This is the important time, though. That's why I come here every week. It's time I know I can bond with her. Isn't that why you're here?"

I shrugged. "Not exactly. My mom wanted me to come. She said it'd be good for her."

"So it's an obligation? You're not even doing this for your daughter?" she accused.

Damn. Apparently, the chick could read me, and she wasn't too thrilled about what she saw.

"I do a lot for her," I said. "Her mom left her with me, so I gave up a lot to take care of her."

"My daughter's dad bailed when he found out I was pregnant," she said. "But I don't see taking care of her as an obligation."

"I . . . I mean, at first I felt like it was, but now I love her. I'm doing things to make her happy and give her a good life."

"Good."

"I didn't mean to sound like an asshole."

"No bad words!" Irina said. "It's one of the rules." She pointed up at the poster on the wall.

"Sorry," I mumbled, rolling my eyes.

I didn't know why I felt like I needed to explain myself to this chick, but she was right. I shouldn't have only been doing this for Mom. And Little One was enjoying it, so that did make me happy.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to sound like that, either. Let's start over. My name is Angela."

I smiled. "Edward."

"Seriously, though, us single parents need to stick together in here," she whispered. "It gets a little . . . competitive."

A Mommy and Me class got competitive? What, did they time who could change a diaper the fastest? I almost wanted to laugh at Angela. It was a fucking class, not a war zone where you needed to stick together against enemies.

"Competitive, huh?" I chuckled, pushing Little One's legs up so her knees bent, making it look like she was peddling on a bicycle.

"I'm not kidding," she said. "Can she roll over yet?"

"Stomach to back. She's still working on back to stomach, but she's about there."

She leaned over to whisper again. "Some of these moms get pretty competitive about milestones like that. They think their kid is the best, and they'll do anything to prove it."

I cocked my eyebrow. "That's just . . . sad."

I already knew Little One was advanced for her age, so maybe that was why I didn't care. I mean, my kid was pretty much awesome. I wasn't saying she was better than the other kids, but she was doing things babies older than her were just starting to do. She was smart, but I wouldn't go out of my way to prove she was better.

After a little more exercising, "loosening" the babies up, we moved on to toys. The goal was motor function, apparently. Irina wanted the babies to try and grasp the colorful toys. Little One killed at it. She kept trying to put it in her mouth, though, so I had to take it back. I grabbed her pacifier from the bag and popped it in her mouth to prevent that.

"Oh, you use a pacifier a lot?" Lauren asked.

"Yeah, why?" I asked, cocking my eyebrow.

She shrugged. "It's just . . . she might become too dependent on it. It could also lead to more ear infections and dental problems. A lot of pediatricians don't recommend using one often."

"Well, did _you_ know researchers have found using a pacifier during sleep decreases the risk of SIDS? So, I'll continue to use the pacifier until she's a little older, and then wean her off when _I_ feel it's appropriate, but thanks for the concern."

The bitch looked taken aback by my comment. Good. Telling me how to care for my kid? I had been reading plenty of books on this shit, and I had my mom and Rosalie to talk to about it, so I didn't need her input. Who the hell did she think she was?

"That. Was. _Great_ ," Angela whispered from beside me, leaning closer. "She _always_ does that."

I shrugged. "Little One likes her pacifier."

"Okay!" Irina said. "Let's end class with light massage. These babies had a great workout today."

I laid Little One on her back like everyone else did, rubbing her belly softly. She loved when I did this at home. I moved onto her legs and arms, just lightly rubbing her skin, making her coo and smile around the pacifier. By the time I laid her on her belly to do her back, she was about out cold.

"So, will you come back?" Angela asked as I packed Little One's things up.

"I might. She seemed to like it a lot," I said.

It wouldn't _kill_ me to come every once in a while with her. Not every week, though. That very well _could_ kill me. I hated the singing, but the rest of it wasn't so bad.

"Good," she said. "It is really great for bonding. It's an hour out of your day, solely devoted to her."

I nodded. "I'll have to see if I can."

. . . . .

After the class, I dropped Little One off with Mom. Since I was off today and tomorrow, Bella and I decided tonight would be a good night for me to take her out. There was no chance of me running late at work or being called in unexpectedly.

Dropping Little One off took longer than I expected. Mom, of course, wanted to know everything about the class. I told her everything except for the singing. I couldn't trust her not to tell Dad, who would tell Emmett. I'd never live that shit down. She said she was proud of me for going and hoped I went back. She was even happier when I said I might, even though I wasn't sure if I meant it.

"It's almost six," I said. "I have to go. Oh, and I'm taking Tanya."

She smiled and hugged me. "Okay. You have a good time tonight, but not _too_ much of a good time."

I sighed. "I have no plans on having that much of a good time. I'll be a gentleman. Swear."

"Good, and one more thing. Your birthday is in a week. Do you have plans?"

"Well, since getting drunk enough to forget I'll be thirty is out of the question, no, I don't."

"Aww, don't get all mopey about that," she laughed. "It's not even that old. So no plans means you might want to come over?"

"A birthday with my parents?" I sighed. "Sure, why not? Nothing says you're getting old like going back to family birthdays."

She rolled her eyes and patted my cheek. "We won't do it here, then. Pick a restaurant and invite Bella. I'll even watch Sofia so you can have a few drinks. A _few_."

I smirked. "All right. I have to go now."

She hugged me again, and I kissed her cheek. "Okay, love you, honey," she said.

. . . . .

I told Bella I'd pick her up —meaning walk across the hall for her — at seven. It was six-fifty-three. I wasn't positive on date etiquette, seeing as how I hadn't been on many _actual_ dates, but I figured it was close enough . . . Right? I decided to check myself in the mirror one last time. Running my hand through my hair, I looked at my watch again. It was six-fifty-four now.

I sighed to myself. "Am I seriously fucking nervous?"

Fuck no, I wasn't nervous . . . Was I? What the hell did I have to be nervous about? Well, I was out of my comfort zone. A date, an actual damn date. I hadn't been one a real one of these since my first year in med school. And that wasn't with a person like Bella. My experience wasn't in _dating_ women. It was with getting them into bed as quickly as possible, and then getting them out before I woke up the next morning. I was basically clueless for tonight, and I hated being clueless.

When I looked at the clock again, which now read four minutes 'til, I just said fuck it, close enough, and left my apartment for hers. I knocked twice and waited for a good minute before she opened the door. She looked _fucking_ _great_ in a black dress.

"Hey," I said, smiling. "You look beautiful."

She blushed a little and looked down at herself, and then back up at me. "Thanks, and you look very handsome," she said. Suddenly, she smirked. "What, no flowers?"

Shit. Flowers. I knew I was missing something.

"I . . . I didn't . . . I'm sor—"

She quickly stopped me by laughing. "I was kidding. Are you okay? You look a little . . . flustered."

I nodded. "I'm good. Are you ready?"

She grabbed a small purse off of her end table. "Yep."

I put my hand on the small of her back as I led her downstairs to Tanya. I opened her door, being a gentleman, and she slid in with a smile.

. . . . .

As Bella looked over the menu with a smile, saying everything just looked so good, I was quite happy with myself for choosing this restaurant. With how many Italian meals she had made me, I figured she'd like it. I had heard good things about this place from listening to the nurses talk.

"I think I'm going to have to go with the shrimp ravioli," Bella said, closing her menu. "What about you?"

I laid my menu on top of hers and took a sip of my wine. "Chicken fettuccine alfredo. I guess I'm going simple and safe."

She smiled. "Well, that's good, too."

"So what have you been doing with your free time?"

"As I mentioned before, cleaning and organizing. I haven't had a lot of time to organize everything since I moved in. It's been nice. I finally got some things out in my living room. Pictures and whatnot, you know?"

I nodded. "It did seem a little bare."

"You know, I can't help but wonder how we wound up in the same apartment building. It's just . . . I'd have thought you'd live somewhere . . . nicer."

"I'm very low maintenance," I chuckled. "I don't need a lot, and I don't think it's so bad. It's safe."

"Yeah, of course. I guess I just figured it was strange that a kindergarten teacher and surgeon live across from each other."

"Well, I'm glad I didn't buy a house like my mom suggested. I'm very fortunate to have you as a neighbor."

She cheeks flushed. "I'm really glad I picked that apartment, let's just say."

"Glad you picked it for me or Little One?"

She smirked. "Mostly her."

"Can't blame you there," I laughed.

She took another sip of her wine as the waitress came over to take our orders. As we waited for our entrees, she asked about my week at work.

"Dad just came back today, and I'm fucking grateful," I said. "Emmett was covering for him."

"The guy that started a conga line at your parent's reception?" she laughed.

I nodded. "You see why I'm grateful. He's not exactly leadership material. The board has been a mess. He double booked OR nurses, leaving me about to start a hernia repair down one. It wasn't good."

"Doesn't sound like it. At least your dad is back now. Plus, you had today off. How was the class?"

"It was . . . interesting," I said, drinking more wine.

"Interesting as in bad or interesting as in good?"

"She liked it, so I'm glad we went, but I don't know about going back. It seems pointless to take her somewhere to do the same things I do with her at home, you know?"

She shrugged. "But taking her out is nice, isn't it?"

I nodded. "I think she likes going places."

"So . . . how did you like the singing?" she laughed softly.

I narrowed my eyes. "How did you know about that?"

"I know what the class entails, Edward. I've worked with kids since I was a teenager."

Son of a bitch. "Please, don't tell Alice I sang. She'll tell Jasper. I'm trying to keep this quiet."

"Oh, don't sound so ashamed. I'm sure it was adorable."

"It wasn't. It was embarrassing."

"Did Sofia laugh?"

"Yes," I sighed.

"Then don't worry about it. I'll keep my lips shut, okay?"

"Thank you," I said as the waitress _finally_ brought breadsticks.

I wasn't going to say anything, but she was slacking quite a bit. Her tip . . . it wasn't going to be great. Bella pulled one apart and put an end in her mouth. I cocked my eyebrow. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was teasing me. Then again, my dick had gone so long without being in a chick's mouth that I was probably just imagining things. Probably. But except for the chewing part, I wished I was that breadstick.

"Good breadstick?" I asked, grabbing one for myself.

She nodded, covering her mouth with her hand. "Very."

"What was Forks like?" I asked.

"Oh, not very interesting. It's a _very_ small town. I couldn't wait to get out when I was younger. I guess I could see why my mom wanted out so badly."

"Are you . . . do you think you're a lot like her?"

I just hoped this was safe conversation. I didn't want to upset her, but I did want to know more about her.

She shook her head. "No, I'm a lot like my dad. Once I got out of Forks, I kind of missed the small town feel. I was really glad I got a job in Port Angeles. It's small, but not too small, you know?"

"Yeah, I just see it as small, though. I've only lived here and New York City, so I don't have much to go by."

"Do you miss New York?"

"Not really. I miss the fast pace, but being back here isn't so bad. It's nice to be back with family and the friends I grew up with."

"I bet you're really thankful to be back now that you have Sofia."

"God, yes," I laughed. "I'm not sure I would have survived that first night without my parents and you, of course."

Once dinner was served, Bella and I kept talking. It was comfortable conversation. I learned a little more about her childhood and dad, and she asked about mine, getting to hear hilarious stories of the things Jasper, Emmett, and I got in to. Somehow, we got on to the topic of her last boyfriend. It happened by accident. She was telling me about spending a lot of her time in La Push on her breaks from school. Apparently, the ex lived there, and she met him through a friend.

"We dated up until last year," she said. "Oh, you probably don't want to hear about this, do you? I'm sorry. This is not appropriate date conversation."

"No, it's fine," I said. I kind of did want to know about this, as weird as that sounded. Maybe I just wanted to know what I had to do better than, but I wanted to know how it ended. "Why did you breakup? I mean, a six year relationship seems like something someone wouldn't give up on easy."

"He cheated," she said, narrowing her eyes, stabbing her fork into the ravioli on her plate. "That was about it."

I wasn't a saint, clearly, but cheating was something I had never, would never do. That was why committed relationships were never my thing, so I was already better than the last guy.

"Bastard," I said.

"Yep. So, moving on, is your mom keeping Sofia all night?"

Was she thinking what I was? "Yes."

"That's good. You'll get to sleep in." She smiled.

Fuck. She wasn't, and she was giving me blue balls.

"Yeah," I sighed. "That'll be nice."

"I can make you breakfast tomorrow, if you'd like."

I smiled. "I'd like that. And hey, I didn't even have to ask for a second date," I laughed.

"I don't think breakfast is considered a date." She smirked. "But I guess you can call it that."

"It's our second date." I grinned.

When the waitress came back to get our plates, she asked about dessert. Bella declined, saying she was full. I was actually pretty fucking thankful. I wasn't sure I could handle her licking chocolate off of her lips. I was trying to behave, and her licking her lips wouldn't help. I knew I wasn't going to be sleeping with her tonight, and a part of me — not my dick, obviously — was okay with that. She deserved better than that.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked, signing my name on the receipt.

She smiled and nodded. "Whenever you are."

. . . . .

As I drove us back to the apartment building, we started talking about Little One. It was hard to believe she'd been a key part of my life for two months now. Time seemed to be going by fast, leaving me wondering where it went.

"Before I know it, she'll be crawling," I said. "And then walking! I'm not sure I'm ready for that."

"Don't forget about talking," she said. "She's starting her blabber a little. It's adorable."

"I know," I laughed. "I'm actually excited for the day she'll say daddy. Hell, I'd take 'da'."

She turned her head and smiled. "She'll say it."

"You're a key part of her life, you know? I just can't thank you enough for all you've done." I turned my head and noticed her blush, and that nibble. "You're going to kill me, Nibbles."

She let her lip go and laughed softly. "What?"

"It's that damn nibble and blush."

"Well, we've been over the blush. I can't help it, but I can try to stop biting my lip."

"Oh, no, don't." I smirked, pulling into the parking lot. "It may kill me, but I like it."

I moved quickly to Bella's side once I got out of the car. I pulled her door open the rest of the way and held my hand out for her. She blushed, smiled, and gave it to me. She held my hand all the way upstairs. It was silly, really, but kind of nice. I was holding her hand. Serious change right there.

We stopped in front of her door, and I ran my fingers over her cheek. I couldn't help but enjoy the way her skin felt. It was so damn _soft_. She raised her eyes to meet mine and smiled softly.

"I had a great time tonight," she said.

I lowered my head, moving my lips closer to hers. "Me too," I whispered, kissing her softly.

It didn't stay innocent, though. She moved her hands to the back of my head, pulling my hair a little as I pushed her against the door. My hand moved up her side, grazing her boob. She moaned a little in response. Fuck yes. One of her hands left my hair and moved down my back. Suddenly, it was on my ass. So Bella could get a little frisky too, huh? Nice.

"I . . ." she panted, "should go in."

I nodded, moving my head down and kissing her neck. She probably should go in, but I didn't want her to.

"Oh," she gasped. "Really, Edward, I should."

"Yeah, you should," I whispered. "But your hand is still on my ass."

She let go — damn it — and moved it up to my face, making me look at her. She was flushed red, but smiling like a damn fool.

"Good night, Edward," she said.

I smirked. "Good night, Bella."

She pecked my lips once more before I pulled away. She fumbled through her purse, trying to get her keys as I watched her.

"I'll be over in the morning," she said.

"I'll be waiting."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: French Toast and Conversations**

Unfortunately, I couldn't sleep in like I wanted to. I was just too used to waking up for Little One. I got up at six and decided to go for a jog, knowing Bella wasn't planning breakfast until at least nine. As I made my way through the trail, my mind wandered back to last night. It probably wasn't the most exciting date that there had ever been, but it was . . . nice. I learned a little more about her, like her last and only boyfriend. Fucking moron. Honestly, cheating on Bella? How could someone want to hurt someone so . . . kind, so sweet? It seemed like a crime to do that. No wonder she hadn't been with anyone else for a year. That could have been why she was so reserved with me.

Did she think I could do that? My track record probably didn't boast well for her to believe otherwise, but I'd _never_ do that. If we did make this work, I had to make sure she knew she'd be the only one. I had gone two months without sleeping around, and I knew she'd noticed I'd changed, so hopefully she'd believe me. The only question I had for myself was if I was really ready for a relationship. I wasn't ready for a kid, but I managed it. I changed for Sofia in ways I never thought I could. I could change for Bella if this worked out. I'd have to stop things, like glancing at the women who ran past me, jiggling so perfectly. But I could do that if it meant something better, I guess. Fuck if I knew. Hell, we just had our first date, so why was I already thinking about this?

I shook my head, changed my iPod to a different playlist, and kept going, deciding to put that to the back of my mind for now.

By the time I got back in my apartment, it was only seven-thirty. I knew Mom and Dad would be up, so I decided to check in on my little one to see if she did all right.

"You're up early," Mom answered.

"Good morning to you, too," I said, pouring a cup of coffee. "Is Sofia still asleep?"

"No, she just got up. Your dad is giving her a bottle now."

"How'd she do?"

She sighed. "She was fussy last night when she realized you weren't coming back, but we got her calmed down. She's done fine, Edward."

"Bella even said she was fussy at first when I left her with her."

"She just misses her daddy when he's not there," she laughed softly. "It's sweet. She calms down quickly, though, so don't worry about it."

"Good. I'll probably come get her around noon. Is that all right?"

"That's fine. So, how was the date?" I could almost hear her smirk.

"It's was nice. I took her to that Italian restaurant by the waterfront. We had a good time."

"Did you behave?" I heard Dad ask in the background.

"Do you two realize that's none of your business?" I asked. "It's rude to ask your son if he slept with someone."

"Well, did you?" Mom asked.

I sighed and ran my hand over my face. "No, okay? And don't ask again because I'm not going to tell you."

"Will you tell me when you do?"

"No!"

She laughed. "Okay. Gosh, I was kidding."

"Somehow, I don't think you were. Call me if you need anything . . . regarding Sofia."

"I will. We'll see you later. Love you."

"Yeah, love you, too," I said, hanging up the phone.

I decided my parents — more specifically my mother — were too interested in their thirty-year-old son's love life.

. . . . .

"You're earlier than I thought," I said, opening the door a little wider for Bella. "And you have no food."

She laughed softly, making her way toward my kitchen. "I'm teaching you, right? So we're doing this together."

"I can make eggs," I said.

"How about french toast? Do you have syrup? Powdered sugar?" she asked, going through my cabinet.

"I always have syrup," I said, laughing as I grabbed it from the top shelf for her. "Eggos are a must in this apartment."

She went over to my fridge next. "Good, so I need to go grab powdered sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and sausage. You have everything else, and all the dates are good . . . amazingly," she teased, double checking.

"I'm not that bad . . . anymore. Little One requires me to make frequent trips to the store."

"You used to get milk from a gas station, didn't you?"

"Possibly." I smirked, trapping her against the counter. I brushed my lips against her. "You didn't say good morning," I whispered, kissing her.

She moved her lips with mine, bringing her hand up to my face. She scratched at the stubble I had yet to shave. I felt her giggle softly as she pulled away.

"You're . . . stubbly," she laughed.

"Do you want me to shave?" I asked, running my jaw against her cheek.

She laughed more and pushed me away. "I've got to go get that stuff," she said. I didn't move, and she narrowed her eyes. "I'm serious."

"Fine," I sighed, smirking. "I'm hungry anyway, and I'm not shaving."

When Bella came back, she explained the process of making French toast. I didn't say anything, but, amazingly, I did know how to make it. I let her keep talking, though, because it was clear she liked to teach.

"How many pieces do you want?" she asked, pulling the bread from the bag.

"Would I be a fat ass if I said five?" I laughed.

She smirked and tilted her head, clearly looking at my ass.

"Excuse you," I said. "Somehow, I think that if I did that, I'd be getting slapped."

She rolled her eyes. "You're not as subtle as you think, and I haven't slapped you yet." I stared at her boobs as she spoke, just because I could. "But I might have to," she added, folding her arms over her chest.

"If you don't want me to stare, don't wear low-cut tops," I said, shrugging as I continued to beat the eggs and other shit together for her.

She dropped her arms and pulled more bread out of the bag as I finished the eggs and passed her the bowl. We shared a few more laughs as I burned the first four pieces on one side, which she dubbed mine. Honestly, it was her fault. She distracted me. What with her boobs and ass, it was difficult to stay focused on some damn bread. I was fucking horny. This . . . was going to be difficult. I could kiss her, I could touch her, but I couldn't fuck her. Not yet, at least.

After devouring one of the best damn breakfasts I had eaten in a while, Bella and I laid on the couch, watching a movie. It was Tuesday morning, and there was no way in hell I was watching cartoons or news, so we were left with movies. I found myself sprawled out with Bella between my legs — not in the way I wanted — and her back against my chest.

She turned her head and looked at me. "If I ask you a question, will you promise not to get offended?"

"Starting a question that way doesn't make me feel good, but all right, I won't be offended."

She turned her body so her back was against the couch. "How did you become . . . that person you were before Sofia?"

I cocked my eyebrow and pulled myself up a little. "Are you asking why I used to sleep around?"

She nodded. "I'm just curious. I know it's rude to ask."

"Um . . . well, because I liked it. I realized women liked how I looked, so I used them. I'm a bit ashamed of it now that I'm looking back, but it's the truth. I didn't sleep around because of some unresolved issues or that kind of bullshit. I didn't do for any other reason other than I could. I wanted to, women wanted me, so I did."

She blinked in surprise. "Oh," she whispered.

"I was a bad person. You can say it."

"I . . . I'm not saying that."

"Bella, that's not who I am anymore," I said, brushing my fingers over her cheek.

"It's only been two months."

I pulled my hand away as my eyebrows creased together. "You don't think I've changed?"

She bit her lip and looked down at her lap. It wasn't that endearing nibble I liked. "I'm concerned," she admitted. "But I like the guy you are now. My concern is you're not really over that, and if that's the case . . . I don't want to be with you."

"I won't hurt you," I said, brushing a strand of hair that had fallen out of her eyes. She looked up at me again and smiled a little. "My goal in life before Sofia was to have as much fun as possible. Sex is fun; we both know that. But the moment she came into my life, that goal changed. I have to give her a good life, and I can't do that if I'm sleeping around. So as for going back to how I was, it's not going to happen. Not because of you — though, that's a reason now — but because of her."

She moved a little closer and brushed her fingers against my cheek. "You're a good dad. Do you realize that?"

"I'm doing my best for her."

"You're not just doing this, taking me out, kissing me, making me feel good because you want to sleep with me, are you?"

I sighed. "I want to sleep with you. But no, that's not why I'm doing this. I'm doing this because I like you. I like how you're kind and caring, how you treat my daughter, how you're clearly a good person. I like _you_. I can honestly say that for once in my life, I'm not using a woman."

"That's what I wanted to know." She smiled, leaning over to kiss my lips. "Thank you for telling me the truth."

"You're beautiful," I said, getting her to blush. "Nibble on your lip for me?" She laughed softly before pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. "That's the nibble I like."

I pulled her back to me and pressed my lips to hers. Our tongues moved together as I brushed my thumb behind her ear. She fucking loved that. I had her panting between kisses. Eventually, I pushed her back so she was laying on the couch as I hovered over her. Her leg lifted and wrapped around my waist as our lips continued to move, parting every once in a while to breathe. My hand moved up her waist like last time, bringing her shirt with it. She didn't stop me this time. I pushed my hand under her bra, lifting it up as I brushed my thumb over her nipple. Oh, fucking hell yes.

"Mmm," she moaned, tilting her head back as I moved my lips to her neck.

I wanted to get her shirt and bra actually off so I could see her, but she stopped me as I went to pull it up the rest of the way.

"No?" I asked.

"Not right now," she said, looking apologetic. "It's just . . ."

"Quick?" She nodded as I pulled the cup of her bra back down along with her shirt. "Okay, taking it slow. Got it."

"I'm sorry."

I shook my head and helped her sit up. "Don't be. I understand."

"It's not that I don't want to, okay?" she asked, resting back into my chest. "Let's just take our time."

"I think I can handle that," I said, kissing the top of her head.

I could handle that, but I seriously needed a fucking cold shower now. I could wait, though. She was worth it.

. . . . .

Bella and I spent the morning watching movies and making out like fucking teenagers. When noon rolled around, she came with me to get Little One from my parent's house. The second we stepped inside, Mom was on her, hugging her before even acknowledging me.

"How are you, Bella?" Mom asked, pulling back.

"I'm great Mrs. Cul—Esme," Bella said, quickly saving it as Mom gave her a look. "I hope you had a good second honeymoon."

Mom smiled. "Oh, it was amazing. Hawaii is beautiful. I just wish we could have stayed longer."

"Hey, Mom, it's good to see you, too," I said as I leaned down for a hug.

"I didn't forget about you," she teased, kissing my cheek. "I was just more excited to see Bella."

I put my hand over my heart after we parted. "Ouch."

She laughed along with Bella as we walked back to the living room. Dad had Sofia sitting up on the couch as he crouched down in front of her. I cocked an eyebrow as I observed the scene. What the hell was he doing? Dad removed his hand from my little one's shoulder, and she started falling to the side.

"She can't hold herself up yet," I said.

He turned his head toward me and smiled. "I'm just trying it out. She can already lift her chest completely off the floor, so I wanted to see."

He picked her up off the couch and walked over, passing her to me. I held her to my chest and kissed her head a few times. "Hey, Little One," I said. "Daddy missed you." I kissed her once more, murmuring that I loved her before looking back up. Of course Mom and Dad had their usual ridiculous grin on their faces. Bella smiled and put her hand against Little One's back, caressing it softly. Sofia's hand reached out toward Bella, and I took it as a sign she wanted her, so I passed her along.

"So," Mom started, "have you decided where you want to go for your birthday dinner?"

Bella's head shot up from kissing Little One. "It's your birthday?"

"Next week," I said. "I was actually going to ask if you wanted to come to dinner with my family, but it slipped my mind."

Her mouth fell open in surprise. Why, I wasn't sure. "Oh, well, if you want me to, I'll come."

"Great," Mom said. "Now Edward just needs to decide what he wants. We could go to the steakhouse."

I nodded. "Yeah, that's fine."

She smiled. "Good, do you work?"

"Yes, so is eight okay?"

"Sounds wonderful. I guess you two want to get going, huh?"

After a lengthy goodbye, which included Mom making plans with Bella on Saturday, we left, heading back to the apartment. I wasn't sure how I felt about my mom and Bella having lunch. Actually, I was. It fucking freaked me out. I knew Mom liked her, so I wasn't worried about her scaring Bella away, but I was just . . . I felt uneasy about it. There was talk of Rosalie joining them, too, so that didn't make it any better. My mother and sister were going to be alone with my . . . what the hell was Bella anyway? Friend? Girlfriend? Woman I was, I guess, dating? We were dating, right? I mean, we had been on a _date_ , but did that qualify as dating? This shit was just fucking confusing and making my head hurt.

"So this is your mom's car?" Bella asked as I drove.

I nodded. "Tanya isn't really kid friendly."

"Tanya?" she laughed, throwing her head back against the rest. "You named your car Tanya?"

"Well, she's sexy as hell, so yes, I named my car Tanya. Are you jealous." I smirked.

She put her hand over her mouth to muffle the laughs as she shook her head.

"It's not weird, you know?" I asked. "People name their cars."

She nodded, lowering her hand. "I know. It's just . . . Tanya? Really?"

"It fits."

"And is Tanya going to be sticking around?"

"You're jealous of my car, aren't you?"

She scoffed. "I swear to you that I am not jealous of your car. I'm just curious why you still have it."

"Her," I corrected.

I looked over at her as she rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'm curious why you still have _her_. Wouldn't it make sense to sell _her_ and get a car that your daughter can ride in?"

"My mom doesn't care if I use this."

"Edward, why won't you sell _her_?"

I sighed, removing a hand from the wheel to run it through my hair. "I'm not ready, I guess. I had to change how my apartment is, my work schedule . . . my entire life for Sofia. I'm just trying to hold on to one thing that reminds me of . . . my life."

"But that's not your life anymore," she said softly. "Do you honestly want that life back?"

"Well, no, not if it meant losing Sofia. I guess I'm just . . . I don't know. I don't want to sell Tanya yet. I'm not ready."

"I get it," she said, smiling. "But when you _are_ ready, I'll help you."

"No offense, but I'm not sure I like your taste in cars," I laughed.

She smacked my arm. "My truck was a gift from my dad, all right? When it wheezes it's last breath, I'll get a new one."

"I have a feeling that's going to be soon."

"Probably," she said as I pulled into my parking spot.

. . . . .

We spent the rest of the day together, just Bella, Sofia, and me. As I finally got around to doing some chart work and dictations, Bella and Little One played on the floor. It was . . . distracting, let's just say. I couldn't keep my mind on my work because I kept stopping to watch them. Bella was just . . . words couldn't describe how great she was with my daughter. It was natural. Little One was constantly giggling at the things Bella would do, and Bella's smile said it all for her. She was happy.

When Sofia finally went down for a nap, Bella left because she needed to go to the store. I managed to get a good deal of my work done before Little One woke up, screaming her head off. When I got in her room and looked in her crib, I found her flailing her arms and legs as she continued to scream. The happy baby that went down for a nap an hour and a half ago was now gone. I quickly realized why she was so unhappy when I checked her diaper.

"You saved this just for me, didn't you?" I asked, pulling on gloves because I still wasn't willing to touch the shit. "Bella would have been just fine with changing you, but you waited until she left so you could give Daddy this _special_ gift. Well, Daddy doesn't like this type of gift, so all these milestones that you've achieved so early need to include potty training."

Once she was clean and in a new diaper, I brought Little One out to the kitchen so I could make her a bottle. She was in a much better mood as I fed her. Her hand came up and rested on the bottle as she drank happily.

"I can't believe how big you've gotten in just two months," I said, stroking her cheek with my index finger. "I'm going to start you on cereal soon. I'm thinking we'll try it tomorrow night and see how it goes. I'm scared, though, because I have a feeling your 'gifts' are going to be a lot more unpleasant," I laughed.

I shifted her a little, pulling the nipple from her mouth so I could wipe the excess dribble.

"So things with Bella seem to be going well," I said, giving her the bottle back before she became fussy. "She likes me, but she's worried I'll go back to how I was. I won't do that." I shook my head. "And I have you to thank for it. I'm actually pretty fucking glad you came into my life . . . And yes, I need to stop cussing around you. I should start a swear jar or something. You're college fund will be complete by the time you can walk," I laughed.

I pressed my lips to her forehead. "I love you, Little One. I'm still a little clueless about this dad stuff, but you're worth figuring it out for."

Once she was done, I put her against my chest and patted her back. I realized too late that the towel wasn't covering where it should have been. I shuddered as I felt the spit up soak through my shirt.

The joys of fatherhood were endless.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Fondling is the Best Gift**

"If I beg, will you eat it?" I asked, moving the spoon of rice cereal over Little One's lips. "Please?"

I had started a few nights ago, trying to get Sofia to eat this shit, but we weren't having much success. She'd let me get it in her mouth a few times, but it'd quickly come out, dribbling down her chin. I figured maybe I'd try in the morning and see if she'd eat some, but again, it just wasn't happening. She probably wasn't ready, but I sort of thought she was taunting me. She'd laugh at my attempts — full out belly laughs, actually.

I sighed, putting the spoon back in the bowl. "Fine, no more rice cereal. But it is Daddy's birthday. You could have at least pretended to like it."

She giggled and slammed her hand down on the spoon, sending it flying through the air, covering me in blobs of the disgusting cereal. She continued to laugh as I wiped it from my eyes. I was trying very hard not to get mad. I kept telling myself she was a baby, and she didn't know any better, but part of me went back to the taunting thing.

"You . . . are going to be the death of me," I said, wiping her mouth off. "And you're very lucky Bella offered to watch you today, otherwise, I'd be late, and I'd really be upset."

After cleaning up the mess, I quickly ran across the hall with Little One and her bag. Bella had offered to keep her today, so I didn't have to rush from work, to the daycare, to my apartment, and then to the restaurant tonight. I'd just get off work, come home and change, and then we'd met my family for dinner. Truthfully, I believed Bella just wanted to spend time with my daughter, and that was perfectly fine with me. The only thing I worried about was her not having a car to drive Little One in, in case something happened. There was no way in hell my kid was going in that truck. Bella assured me the hospital was only five minutes away, so if anything happened, she'd call, and I could get here quickly. It wasn't an ideal situation, but it worked for now.

"Hello, sweetheart," Bella said, holding her arms out for Little One after opening the door.

"Hello to you, too," I said, smirking.

"Yes, good morning and happy birthday, Edward," she laughed, carrying Sofia inside.

"Thanks. So, everything is in the overstuffed bag, but I'm also going to leave a key to my apartment, just in case." I sat the bag down on her couch and pulled out the key, handing it to her.

She took it and nodded. "Got it. Oh, you have something right there." She pointed to my head.

"What?" I ran my hand through my hair, feeling nothing.

She laughed, reaching up with her free arm. She yanked my hair a little and showed me a blob of the cereal. "This."

I groaned. "Fuc—uh, great. She decided to play throw nasty crap at Daddy this morning."

She laid Little One down in the portable crib I had brought over last night and wiped her hand off on a throw-up bib. "Still no success?" she asked.

"Not even a little."

"Just . . . keep trying. She'll eat it when she's ready."

"I hope so," I sighed. "Well, I'm going to go grab her bouncer."

"Okay." She smiled. "And you might want to check for more blobs," she laughed softly.

"Are you laughing at me?"

"Yeah, because it's funny."

I shook my head, walking toward the door. "And I thought you were on my side."

After coming back and setting the bouncer in her living room, I picked Little One up and kissed her cheek, telling her I loved her. I laid her in the bouncer, making her all kinds of happy as she enjoyed the toy attachments.

"I'll be here after seven," I said, turning toward Bella. "I'll get a quick shower then we can leave."

She nodded. "I'll be ready, and so will she."

I lowered my head, kissing her as my thumb caressed her cheek. When I pulled away, I noticed her peaceful smile. "Thanks, Bella."

"Of course. Thanks for letting me watch her."

. . . . .

Jasper was a dick. Plain and simple. _Fucking dick_. He spread the word around the hospital about my birthday, so though I didn't want to believe I was now thirty, I was reminded over and over again throughout the day. There were even cupcakes — baked by Cupcake Nurse — in the lounge. Not gonna lie, I ate a few, and of course she noticed. I still needed to learn the woman's name, so I took a quickly glance at her badge as she spoke to me. It was Becky, by the way.

"You do not look thirty!" she said, grinning. "Are you having a good birthday?"

I took another bite from the cupcake and nodded. "Great," I mumbled.

"Are you . . . celebrating tonight?" She fluttered her eyelashes. "You know, with anyone special?"

"My family, actually."

"Oh, that's it?"

"Well, my daughter is going to be there." Where was a gun when you needed it? Or a scalpel. I'd cut my own throat right here if it'd get me out of talking to her.

She smiled. "Aww, how is she?"

"She's fine."

"Well, I was wondering, since you have plans tonight, maybe we could have a little celebration of our own this weekend?"

I about gagged on the cupcake I had just taken another bite of. I quickly shook my head, coughing a little. "I . . . you know, I have a kid. It's not the right time."

I didn't want to just shoot her down. I had to work with her sometimes, after all, but dear God, even if I didn't have Little One, I wouldn't sleep with her. The thought had crossed my mind before, but now it was clear I didn't want shit to do with her. She wasn't . . . I didn't know. She just wasn't what I wanted anymore.

Her face fell. "Oh, okay," she said. "Maybe some other time."

Suddenly, the best thing that could have happened, happened. My pager went off. "I have to go," I said before turning around and jogging down the hall, pulling the pager from its clip on my hip.

I shouldn't have been so happy for a car accident. It was kind of horrible of me, actually, but holy shit, I was. When I got downstairs, I found a splenic laceration, so I spent the afternoon in surgery, trying to save the patient's spleen. All turned out well, so that put me in a better mood and _almost_ made me forget I was pissed at Jasper. Almost. But when he come up next to me as I worked on the patient's chart, I quickly remembered.

"You're dead to me," I said. "Go away."

He laughed and patted my back. "It's not _that_ bad. You got delicious cupcakes and people giving you attention. Two of your favorite things."

"Oh, yeah, it was great. Except Cupcake Nurse also asked me out, and I blame you for that."

He grinned. "Oops."

"Fuck you," I said, going back to the chart in front of me. "I told her no because of Sofia, so she said maybe some other time. Thankfully, my pager went off before I had to tell her I would never, _ever_ go out with her."

"You're so grown up. There's a tear in my eye, just so you know."

I looked up and narrowed my eyes. "Again, fuck you."

He laughed more as he read the chart over my shoulder. "Looks like you had a fun day."

I smirked. "Pretty damn good, actually. I think we should amend my favorite things list. I do like cupcakes and attention, but this is much higher up on the list."

"Duly noted. Ways to make Edward happy, surgery. The more difficult, the happier he is."

"Damn straight."

He came around the counter and flopped down in a chair, picking up a stress ball that belonged to one of the nurses. "So, dinner with Bella and the family tonight. Did she tell you how lunch was with your mom?"

"She said it was nice. Rosalie went, too. It must have gone all right because she's still talking to me," I chuckled.

"Talking is good." He nodded. "So, you want to go out this weekend? Alice is going up to Seattle to see her mom."

"Can't, I'm on call."

"Damn. Well, we need to figure this shit out because we haven't hung out in a while. Batting cages one night?"

I loved Little One, and I liked Bella, but I could have used an evening of downtime with Jasper. He was right; we hadn't hung out in a while. Actually, we hadn't hung out since that night I met Alice.

I nodded. "One night next week after work?"

He tossed the stress ball at me, and I quickly caught it. "Sounds good," he said. "And, you know, happy birthday, man."

"Thanks."

. . . . .

I rushed out of the hospital as soon as my shift was over. I didn't even change, since I'd just jump in shower the second I got home. Before going to my apartment, I went to Bella's, making sure Little One had done okay. Bella already had her in a little dress with a bow in her hair. It was perfectly straight, unlike when I had done it a few weeks ago.

"We're ready when you are," Bella said, eyeing me. "I take it you're going to grab a shower?"

"What?" I smirked. "You don't like my scrubs? I've been told my ass looks great in them."

Her cheeks flushed as she tried to hide a smile. "Don't we need to hurry? You're wasting time by showing me your ass."

"Well, I wasn't showing it to you, but if you avert the little one's eyes, I could," I said, winking.

She picked up one of Sofia's toys and threw it at me as she laughed. "Go!"

"Fine, no ass for you."

I showered quickly and changed into something decent for the restaurant we were going to. By the time we finally got there, everyone was already seated.I laid Little One's car seat down in the upside down highchair before pulling a chair out for Bella. She smiled and sat down, moving her hair over so it came off one shoulder. Not surprisingly, she looked beautiful tonight.

"Happy birthday, honey," Mom said, smiling as I kissed her cheek before sitting down between Little One and Bella.

"Thanks," I said, popping the pacifier in Sofia's mouth.

The conversation flowed like usual for my family, and Bella seemed to fit right in. Dad, Emmett, and I discussed work — as usual — while Mom, Rosalie, and Bella talked about Ben, who was currently in Bella's lap. Rosalie went on and on about her son, and Bella seemed to listen intently.

"I heard you had a good day, son," Dad said, lifting his scotch as I drank my beer.

Since Mom had volunteered to keep Little One tonight, I was indulging. Not a lot or anything, but it was nice to just enjoy a beer, which I hadn't done in well over a month.

"Yeah," I said. "And at one point, I was so sure I was going to have to remove his spleen, so I have to say, it felt pretty good that I saved it."

"Hey, have you heard anything about that trauma fellowship in Seattle?" Emmett asked. "You applied, right?"

I shook my head. "No, I figured it wasn't a good time. Besides, I'm happy here."

"Another job?" Bella asked, passing Ben back to Rosalie.

"Uh, specialized training, actually," I said. "I had applied for one in New York, to do right after residency, but I didn't get it. It didn't matter anyway because I wanted to come back here."

"Sure you did," Emmett laughed.

I glared at him. To be honest, I did want that fellowship. After I was turned down, I told myself that it didn't matter because Dad had already offered me a job here, but it did matter. I hadn't failed at many things in my life. I excelled at just about any sport, I got into the college I wanted, and, of course, I didn't have issues with women. So, being rejected wasn't something I was used to. It wasn't something I wanted to be reminded of, let's just say.

Bella must have noticed I didn't want to talk about it, so she changed the subject. "I think Sofia might be getting a tooth," she said.

"What?" I asked.

She smiled. "Haven't you noticed her drooling more than usual? Also, her gums on the bottom are redder than they had been."

I hadn't noticed it actually, but now that she told me, it made sense. "Maybe that's why she's been having issues with sleeping through the night."

"I bet," Mom said as Rosalie nodded in agreement.

"Ben actually didn't do too bad," Rosalie said. "He was a little more fussy, but compared to the stories I've heard, he pretty much sailed through it. Maybe Sofia will, too."

I ran my fingers over Little One's cheek. "Let's hope so."

The moment dinner came and I started to eat, Little One made it known her diaper was dirty. I probably should have been suspecting it, to be honest. I carried her into the men's bathroom with her diaper bag and realized there wasn't a changing table. Fantastic. Not that it was surprising, though. Instead of interrupting Mom or Bella's dinner, I snuck into the women's bathroom. I made sure no one was watching before ducking in and rushing into the handicap stall that had the logo on it.

"If I get in trouble for this, I'm going to use your cuteness to get me out of it," I told Sofia as I laid her down. "Seriously, I'll hold you up in front of me like a shield."

Once the shitty diaper was off and she was clean, I fastened the new diaper and her onesie before tucking everything away in her bag.

I picked her up and kissed her cheek, making her giggle and kick her legs. I held her to my chest with one arm as I picked her bag up and headed out. When I opened the stall door, a woman was putting lipstick on in the mirror. She noticed me and turned around, gasping with a horrified look on her face.

"Baby," I said, lifting Little One up. "Blame the restaurant."

I quickly left the bathroom before she could throw something at me. She seemed to be clutching that lipstick tube with intent. I was laughing a little by the time I got back to the table. Everyone looked at me, questioning what the hell was so funny.

"Well, Emmett, you were right," I said. "The women's bathroom is much nicer."

"Oh," Rosalie said, smirking. "Men's didn't have a changing table, huh?"

"Nope," I said, laying Little One back down in the car seat, giving her back the pacifier. "And women _really_ don't like seeing a man come out of a stall."

"Please, tell me she screamed," Emmett laughed.

"Nah, but I'm pretty sure she was about to throw a lipstick tube at me."

Luckily, Little One fell asleep quickly, so I could finish eating. Somehow, Mom and Bella got on the topic of me, during my childhood. Bella was laughing so hard at the things Mom said, she snorted. Apparently, the story of finding me trying to drink out of the toilet with our dog when I was four was just that funny.

"I miss Snickers," Rose said. "That dog followed Edward around everywhere."

I laughed. "I thought you hated him? Didn't he eat your favorite pairs of shoes?"

She huffed. "You're right. I did hate that dog. He just got you into trouble, and that was hilarious."

"Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, didn't he die soon after the shoe incident?" Dad asked.

"Rose probably poisoned him," I said.

She scowled. "No, I didn't. He was just old."

"Bella, honestly, Edward and that dog were so cute together," Mom said. "I'll have to get some pictures out and show you."

I groaned. "Childhood photos . . . great."

Bella laughed and patted my arm. "I'm sure you were adorable."

I shrugged. "Well, yes, but that doesn't mean I'm okay with it."

Suddenly, I heard clapping, which was followed by singing and being surrounded by the waiting staff.

"Really?" I asked Mom. "You really had to do this?"

She laughed. "I couldn't help myself."

I was wished happy birthday and a cake was set down in the middle of the cleared table. Thankfully, there were no candles. The cake was actually pretty good, so I wasn't _that_ pissed, though I found that to be extremely unnecessary. Once the leftovers were boxed up, I picked up Little One's car seat. She quickly started crying, probably from being woken up suddenly.

"Here," Bella said. "I'll take the car seat and you take her."

I set the car seat on the table and picked her up, holding her to my chest and hushing her softly as I kissed her forehead. Bella carried her car seat out for me as we met everyone out front.

"I hope you had a good birthday, son," Dad said, reaching his arm out and patting my back.

"Yeah, thanks for dinner." I smiled. "It was nice."

"You all right to drive?"

"I'm good," I laughed. "Only had two beers."

Mom put her arm around me, hugging me softly. "Happy birthday, honey. My baby boy is thirty," she laughed.

"Thanks. Does that mean you won't call me 'baby boy' anymore?"

She patted my cheek. "You wish." Her arms went out for Little One. "Ready?"

I kissed Sofia's cheek a few times. "I love you, Little One. Be good for Grandma and Grandpa." I passed her over, letting my hand capture her tiny one. She looked up and smiled as I smiled back. "Bye, baby girl. See you tomorrow."

. . . . .

It surprised me a little that Bella didn't go to her door when we reached our floor. I opened my apartment door, and she walked in as I followed behind. She dropped her purse on the end table by the door and toed her shoes off.

"You know you have an awesome family, right?" she asked, sitting down on my couch.

I laughed, kicking my shoes off as I sat down next to her. "Embarrassing, yes. Awesome? I don't know if I'd call them that."

A smile was on her lips, making her look . . . just beautiful. Her hands came up and undid the first few buttons on my shirt.

"I did get you a gift," she said. "It's in my purse."

I smirked. "A gift, huh? Anything good?"

She shrugged a little. "I think you'll like it."

"Are you going to give it to me?" I laughed.

She nodded, moving off the couch. She walked over to the table and pulled a square box out of the massive purse. She handed it to me before sitting down again and folding her legs under her.

It wasn't big, but it wasn't tiny, either. A perfect square about six inches wide and two deep. I pulled the bow off and stuck it to her shirt, making her laugh. I quickly tore the paper off, revealing a white box. Lifting the lid, I moved the tissue paper and found a picture frame.

"You don't have pictures of her around here," she said as I lifted the framed photo of Little One. Along the bottom of the frame it said "My Baby Girl". "I thought you needed one."

I smiled, looking at my sleeping daughter in the photo. "It's . . . perfect."

"I took the picture today. Honestly, I didn't know what to get you, but your mom helped. She mentioned how she didn't like it that you had no pictures out. She guessed you just hadn't seen a reason to, so I figured this would be a good start."

I nodded. "I love it. Truthfully, it is perfect."

She smiled and brushed her finger tips over my jaw, sitting up and moving closer. Her lips touched mine and our tongues entwined for a moment before we parted.

"Happy birthday," she said.

"Thank you, Bella."

Her hand went to my head, running through my hair. "Can I ask a question?"

"Shoot."

"Why didn't you apply for that fellowship in Seattle?"

I sighed, looking away. "Because I wouldn't have gotten it."

She pressed her other hand against my cheek, moving my face back to hers. Her eyebrow were creased. "Says who?"

"I don't do well with failure," I said. "I'm not going to put myself back out there, just to be rejected again."

"So that program didn't accept you, oh well. If it's what you want, you shouldn't give up. Rejection is normal, Edward. It happens to everyone."

I shook my head. "Not me. I got into the college I wanted, to the med school program I wanted . . . I don't get rejected."

"Is that really why you moved back here?" she asked, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Because you didn't get that?"

"I was sure I would have gotten it. I actually laughed at my dad when he first offered for me to come back here while I was waiting to hear. I didn't want to tell him, you know? Carlisle Cullen's son didn't fail at anything."

She sighed, smiling lightly. "How did he take it?"

I laughed softly. "He said, and I'm quoting 'I'm sorry, son, but it happens. What are you going to do now?' He wasn't upset."

"Of course he wasn't. So, why don't you try again?"

"Well, Sofia kind of needs me. I can't do a fellowship with her now. The hours would kill me and leave no time to take care of her."

"Get a nanny."

"I'd have to move to Seattle. And you know what? This is moot. The deadline has passed, so it doesn't even matter."

"Then try again next year. If it's what you want and would make you happy, you should do it."

I shook my head as her hand found mine. "I'm happy where I am now. I love my job here. I have family here and . . . you. My life is here."

She moved, lifting her leg over my lap, bringing us face to face. Her hand caressed my cheek as she smiled. "You know, you seem a little more . . . human now," she laughed.

"What?" I chuckled.

"You're not perfect. It probably sounds . . . insane, but you're a little intimidating. Knowing you've . . . failed, I guess, makes me realize you're just like everyone else. Only much more beautiful, of course." She smirked.

"So my failure makes you like me more?"

She giggled. "Okay, we'll go with that."

"I have more flaws. Like, that toilet seat in my bathroom is usually up, I can't cook, as you know, and I get absolutely _pissed_ when something doesn't go my way. If I can't figure out what's wrong with a patient, I've been known to throw things."

"Oh, you're so flawed," she teased.

"My feet smell, too."

She kissed my lips, laughing around them. "Remind me not to sniff your feet."

Her fingers unbuttoned my shirt the rest of the way as we continued to kiss. My hand went to the back of her dress, unzipping it. I lowered the small straps as we broke the kiss. She moved her arms out of them as I pulled the dress down further. I kissed her neck softly as I tried to undo her fucking bra clasp. Jesus Christ, was it sewn together? Her hands moved to her back, helping me. _Finally_ , it was undone and she tossed it to the floor as I looked at her.

"Gorgeous," I whispered, taking her nipple into my mouth.

She moaned softly as her hands gripped my hair, tugging softly. I kept one hand on her back as the other caressed her breast. My cock was hard. I had to restrain myself. This was probably all I'd get tonight, but, fuck, at least it was something. Her hips ground against me, and I heard her gasp. She did it again, though, and slower this time. She was so close. So. Fucking. Close. I could feel her against me, and I just wanted to fuck her, make her scream my name.

"That . . . oh, that's nice," she whispered.

I moved, laying her down on the couch as I hovered above her. Her hands went to my jeans, unbuttoning them and pulling the zipper down. Jesus Christ. We were going to do it, weren't we? She palmed me through my boxers as I sucked in a breath. It had been a long time since a woman touched me, and I fucking missed it. My lips found hers again as she continued the motion that was sure to kill me. I wanted in her so badly, but when my hand slipped under her dress to her panties, her other hand stopped me. I clasped mine around hers and pulled it up over her head.

"Bella, if you don't stop that, I'm gonna come," I said, groaning.

"That's the point," she said, capturing my lips again.

Yep. She was trying to kill me. Her hand moved and went down my boxers, grasping me. She slid up and down, slowly, a few times before I lost it. I grunted her name as my lips moved to her neck, sucking her skin.

Happy fucking birthday to me.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Flowers Fix Everything**

 **Small disclaimer: I do not own 'Twilight' or any characters from it. I just play with them.**

Bella and I didn't go any further that night on my couch. We hadn't gone further since, actually. Hell, we hadn't even done that again. Over the past three weeks, we spent more time together . . . _dating_. I had taken her out three times since, twice with Little One coming along, and once alone. I learned more about her, like her fear of birds.

We spent a Sunday afternoon at the park near our apartment building since I was on-call. It was her idea, actually. She packed a lunch and we sat near the duck pond with Sofia. At the time, Bella scared the hell out of me, but it quickly turned hilarious. A flock of birds came down and one tried to take the sandwich from her hand. A heart-stopping screech left her lips as I was looking at Little One, giving her a bottle. I swear to God, I thought she was being murdered or some shit. When I looked up, she was hurrying off the ground, running around like a chicken with their head cut off. When she finally calmed down and sat again — nearly in tears — she explained what the hell happened, making me laugh my ass off. Turned out, she once had an encounter with seagulls attacking her. She hit my shoulder, telling me it wasn't funny, but seriously, it was fucking hilarious.

I learned other things, too. For instance, her favorite flowers were lilies and besides her love of romance novels, she enjoyed mysteries, too. The Sherlock Holmes books were her favorites. I found out she was thinking about going back to school someday so she could teach high school literature. She loved teaching kindergarten, but a part of her wanted to share her love of literature. She said she just wasn't sure, though, because she really loved little kids.

Tonight we were going out again — bowling this time. Little One was, once again, spending the night with Mom and Dad. They were keeping Ben too because they wanted to spend time with their grandchildren. It was fine by me, Rosalie was happy, and Emmett was fucking ecstatic, actually. I didn't want to hear it, but he was basically singing about the fact he was "getting some" as he left work tonight.

"So, bowling," Bella said as I pulled into the parking lot just after eight. "I'm not sure this is a good idea."

I laughed. "Bad bowler?"

"Horrible coordination, actually."

I smirked. "Well, good thing you have a doctor nearby, huh?"

She laughed softly, shaking her head as I shut the car off. "I am actually a bad bowler, too."

"Would you like to use bumpers?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not four. I might be bad, but I think I can manage without bumpers."

I got out of the car, moving to her side to open her door. I held my hand out, and she took it with a smile. "Thank you," she said.

I locked the doors and slid the keys in my pocket, moving my other arm around her waist as we walked inside. Since it was a Wednesday evening, the bowling alley wasn't too crowded. We quickly got a lane, our shoes, and two beers. While Bella was tying her shoes, I put our names in the board.

When she noticed the name I gave her, Bella smacked my arm and said, "Nibbles? Really?"

I laughed. "Well, I can't change it now."

She narrowed her eyes, pressing her lips together into a thin line. "Asshole."

"Hey! I'm letting you go first. That's nice, right?"

She rolled her eyes, stood up, and grabbed her ball without a word. When she got up to the line, she looked back. "No laughing, got it?"

I nodded, holding up two fingers. "I will not laugh unless you do. Scouts honor."

"You weren't a boy scout," she said, turning back to the lane.

She didn't throw it straight in the gutter, amazingly, and managed to knock down a few pins. She came back with a smile, waiting for her ball to come out. Again, she knocked down a few more pins for a total of eight. When it was my turn, she made sure to tell me she'd know if I was letting her win. I had actually considered it, so I made sure to do my best, earning a spare. We continued playing for a few frames. Bella did throw a few gutter balls, but she laughed at herself, which meant I could. Since I was ahead of her — clearly going to win — she decided to distract me. The chick said something about her boobs, causing me to fuck up and send a ball straight into the gutter.

"That was cruel," I said, sitting back down.

She laughed. "Did my talk of my boobs distract you? I'm sorry."

"I'll get you back," I said, lifting my beer to my mouth.

"I'm _so_ scared!"

"Also, that little trick worked _once_. It won't work again, and as you can see by that screen," I pointed, "I'm still going to win. One frame left, Nibbles. You can't beat me."

She titled her own bottle to her lips, shrugging. She set it down and stood up. "No, but I can have fun."

She picked up her ball and walked up to the lane. She wiggled her ass for me, looking back and winking. I stayed silent, plotting my revenge for the next game. Amazingly, she managed a strike. She jumped up and down, clapping her hands. I laughed my ass off, as I had been doing all night. She looked so damn . . . cute, thrilled beyond words.

Once that game was over — which I won, obviously — we had pizza and nachos before playing again. She was determined this time. She said the first game was a warm up, and this time she'd kick _my_ ass. Every time she went up, she looked back, thinking I was going to exact my revenge. No, I was waiting for the perfect opportunity. Halfway through, I found that opportunity. She let her guard down. She didn't look back, so I yelled, scaring the hell out of her. Her feet slipped from under her as the ball flew into the unused lane beside ours. I heard the crack of her head hitting the floor before I could jump from my seat.

I ran to her, calling her name. She didn't move. She didn't make a sound. I kneeled down beside her, pressing my hand to the side of her face. I was scared to death.

"Bella," I said. "Open your eyes . . . Shit, open your eyes."

She didn't, though. Not right away, at least. As a worker was on the phone with 911, and I had my fingers pressed to her neck, a soft moan escaped her lips.

"Bella, can you hear me?" I asked, caressing her cheek. "Open your eyes, baby."

She squeezed her eyes tightly, and then slowly opened them. "Ow," she groaned.

"Don't move," I said, stopping her from rolling over. "You hit your head very hard, knocking yourself out. You probably have a concussion. An ambulance is on its way. I'm _so_ sorry, Bella."

She blinked a few times, grimacing. "No ambulance. The room's spinning."

"Head injuries do that to you. How many fingers am I holding up?"

I held up two, and she squinted her eyes. "Um . . . two, I think, but maybe more? It's pretty blurry."

"It is two, actually. What's your name?"

"Bella Swan."

"What happened?"

She looked up, meeting my gaze. "I slipped. Edward, no ambulance, please? I'm not saying no hospital, but no spectacle, all right?"

I sighed, trying to find the will not to give in to her, but I couldn't stop myself. She was alert, moving — even though I told her not to — and didn't appear to have injured her neck. I checked first, though, before taking the phone from the bowling alley worker. I told them who I was and that an ambulance wasn't necessary — I'd take her myself. I returned to Bella and slowly helped her sit up. She blinked, trying to clear the dizziness that was obvious. I lifted her, carefully, and set her in one of the chairs, pulling the bowling alley's shoes off of her before doing my own. She tried to tell me she could walk, but I didn't let her. I carried her outside and quickly drove us to the ER.

. . . . .

"I can't believe I didn't even _try_ to protect my head," Bella said, closing her eyes as I drove us back to the apartment building.

We had spent the last two hours in the ER. She was diagnosed with a mild concussion, and I _may have_ talked her doctor into ordering an unnecessary CT scan. I just wanted to be sure it was only a mild concussion. For the next twenty-four hours, Bella had to be watched for complications, so I planned to stay with her. She wasn't aware of that yet.

"I mean, I didn't even attempt to put my hands out," she said, looking over at me. "I told you this wasn't a good idea."

I smiled. "You did, but this was technically my fault."

She turned her head, opening her eyes slightly as a small smirk played on her lips. "So, I should send the bill to you then?"

I laughed, pulling into the parking lot. "Sure, why not?"

She moved slowly, walking up the stairs and into her apartment. I hovered, watching her carefully, ready to put my arms out if she needed help. She managed, though, wincing every once in a while.

We entered her apartment, and I closed the door behind me. "I'm all right, Edward," she said. "You can go."

I shook my head. "You need to be woken up every few hours — to be sure you're still responsive. I can . . . crash on your couch," I said, laying her purse on the counter for her.

"That's ridiculous. Go home." She smiled softly. "You don't have Sofia, so you need to sleep."

Again, I shook my head. "You should go lie down. Do you need help getting undressed?"

A short, soft laugh escaped her lips. "Why, Dr. Cullen, are you trying to take advantage of me in this fragile state?"

I rolled my eyes, laughing. "No, I think I could get you naked without these circumstances."

 _Not that I have yet_ , I thought.

"I'm good, Edward, really," she said. "You can go." Her hand gripped the counter as her eyes closed tightly. "Ow."

"Go get in bed," I said, putting my arm around her waist. "And stop arguing with me. You're a terrible patient."

She shifted away from the counter, laying her head against my chest. "Fine," she sighed. "I give up. Do what you wish with me."

I smirked to myself, helping her toward the bedroom. "The doctor in me says that's probably not the best idea."

"You're horrible, you know that?"

"Maybe a little," I said, helping her to the bed and sitting her down. "I'm pretty sure you'd rather be comfortable, so . . . shorts, pants?"

"Shorts, over there." She squinted her eyes, nodding her head toward a chair in the corner.

I grabbed the shorts draped over the arm and brought them back, laying them beside her. She lay back, moving her hands to the button on her jeans. She managed to get them undone before sighing.

"My head pounds more with every movement," she said, bringing a hand to her head — to the massive welt that was forming.

"Do you, uh . . . want some help?" I asked. "I'll be a gentleman."

She looked up at me, nodding. "Just pull 'em off."

I tugged them, pulling them down her legs — which by the way, were _very_ nice. Once they were off, I might have taken a peek. I fucking knew it. They were tiny, they were pink, and they had a bow. I found this entirely unfair. Then again, this was probably karma's way of getting me back for all the shitty things I had done to women in the past. I looked away, grabbing the shorts from beside her and sliding them up her legs. She lifted her ass with a groan, and I slid them the rest of the way up.

"And the shirt?" I asked, helping her sit up.

"I have a tank top on, just pull it off," she said, lifting her arms.

Once she was comfortable, I helped her get situated in bed before grabbing ice and Tylenol for her head. She drank a few sips of water with the pills before laying her head back against the pillows, sighing as I pressed the ice to her head.

"You're not going to leave, are you?" she asked, opening one eye.

"No." I smiled. "You're stuck with me. You can sleep — you _should_ sleep — but I'm going to be waking you up in two hours."

"I've had a concussion before. I know the rules."

"Good . . . well, not good, but at least you understand."

"Why don't you lie down?" she asked, patting the bed. "If you're staying here, you might as well be comfortable."

She took the ice from me, and I walked around the bed, sitting down next to her. I propped a pillow up and lay back as she turned her head toward me.

"I'm sorry for ruining our date," she said.

"You didn't, Bella. You need to sleep."

"Head still hurts too much. Maybe in a bit." She moved over a little, resting her head on my shoulder. "You know, even though I was somewhat confused and in pain, I heard you tell that doctor what to do," she laughed softly.

"I'm bossy by nature. Plus, I care about you, so I had to make sure you were okay."

I noticed the small smile on her lips. "I care about you, too. And I kind of liked the bossy you."

I smirked. "That's good to know."

"I would have won."

"The game?" I asked and she nodded. "Because you're hurt, I'll let you believe that. You won that one, but we're never bowling again, so I guess we'll always be even."

"Good, maybe next time we should just do dinner and a movie."

"Sounds like a plan. Has the pain lessened any?"

"Not really, but I'll be okay. Again, not my first concussion."

"Taken a few blows to the head?"

"A couple, but I swear I'm still all there. This is only my second concussion, and I forgot how much it hurts." She frowned.

I kissed her forehead softly, moving my arm around her shoulder. She moved down on the bed, laying her head on my chest as her hand rested on my stomach. I heard her sigh softly as I took the ice from her.

"Now are you going to sleep?" I asked.

"Maybe," she said. "How's Sofia doing with teething?"

"So far not too bad. She's cranky, but it's manageable. I'm a little afraid of what's going to happen as it gets worse."

"Afraid of the sleepless nights?"

"Yeah, but mostly about her being in pain. That ear infection scared the shit out of me, what with her screaming in pain. I'm not looking forward to that."

She lifted her head, smiling a little. "Aww."

I cocked my eyebrow. "Huh?"

"You're turning into such a softy. It's sweet."

I chuckled, pulling the blanket over her shoulders. "I'm not a 'softy'."

"Sure you're not," she teased. "You're not a bad pillow, either. A little hard, but I'm comfortable."

"Good," I said, pulling my phone from my pocket. I set an alarm for two hours, since I could tell she was about to fall asleep. "So, even after giving you a concussion, I get another date?"

She laughed. "Yes, but nothing physical."

"Dinner and a movie, like you said."

"Can't wait," she sighed.

I fell asleep not long after Bella did. When the alarm went off, I woke her up, asking a few questions to make sure she was still coherent. She was, of course. I did learn she wasn't fond of being woken up, though. She grumbled and scowled until I let her go back to sleep.

. . . . .

"So, you gave your girlfriend a concussion," Jasper laughed before shoving more food in his mouth.

I rolled my eyes, grabbing my water. He, Emmett, and I were eating lunch in the cafeteria. I had been nonstop busy since I got here this morning, so I was just trying to enjoy the fact I was sitting down, but both of them were going on about what happened the other night.

"Is it bad I really want to see a video of how she fell?" Emmett asked. "I mean, you make it sound hilarious."

"She flailed," I said, trying not to laugh. It really wasn't funny when it happened, but thinking back on it I couldn't help but find the humor. "But somehow, she couldn't manage to get her hands out in front of her. She smacked the floor so damn hard that I about had a heart attack."

"I can't believe she's not pissed at you," Jasper said. "You caused her to fall."

"I was just getting her back for doing the same thing. How was I supposed to know she'd spook?"

"You did apologize, right?" Emmett asked. "If I did that to Rose, I'd be groveling with flowers."

"I should get her flowers?" I asked.

He nodded. "Hell yes. I realize you're not used to being in a relationship, so let me help you. You fuck up . . . she gets flowers. Simple."

That seemed reasonable, so why hadn't I thought of it? "She likes lilies."

"There you go!" he laughed. "I usually give Rose a card too, but I doubt the gift shop sells 'sorry I gave you a concussion' cards."

"So every time you do something wrong, you give her flowers and a card, and she's fine? Really?"

"If I really mess up, like when I missed our anniversary because of work, it takes more. But you'll be fine with flowers."

Emmett probably wasn't the person I should have been getting relationship advice from, but he and Rosalie had been together since high school. He had to have been doing something right.

"Women aren't that simple," Jasper said. "I doubt she's actually pissed, but when you really do piss Bella off, I don't think flowers and a card will work."

"It calms them down enough so they talk to you again," Emmett said. "Once they're talking again, though, it does take more."

"Well, it's not like she's mad at me," I said. "It was an accident. Though, I think she'll like flowers."

"I give Rose flowers just because, too. Women love that shit. It's part of being romantic."

I smirked. "I'll have to remember that."

"We're still on for Tuesday, right?" Jasper asked.

I had told him weeks ago we'd go to the batting cages, but I had been spending my time with Bella. A few days ago Jasper reminded me, so I asked Bella if she'd mind watching Little One Tuesday night. To my surprise, she offered to keep her all day, so Sofia didn't have to go to daycare. She made it seem like I was doing her a favor, which was just absurd.

"Yeah," I said. "Bella is watching Little One, so we can even go get a beer after, if you want."

He nodded. "Great. I wanted to talk to you about something anyway."

"What?"

He smirked. "It's not bad. Stop flipping out."

"Well, you can't just say that and expect me not to be curious."

"Emmett, are you able to come?" he asked.

"I'll ask Rose," Emmett said, shoving more food in his mouth.

. . . . .

Before I headed home that night, I stopped at Mom's shop and picked up a bouquet of lilies for Bella. Of course Little One was fascinated by all the flowers. I grabbed a pink rose and held it up to her, letting her touch it.

"Now that's sweet," Mom said, smiling as Sofia played with it. "Here's your bouquet."

I looked at the extravagant bouquet she had made for me. "That's a little much. Why the roses?"

"Her favorite flower might be a lily, but trust me, honey, women love roses, too."

I laughed. "I'll trust your judgment. Thanks, Mom."

"Oh, no, Sofia!" she said, reaching out to pull my hand with the flower away. Little One had a rose petal in her mouth. I quickly pulled it out and checked her mouth to make sure she didn't have anything else.

"Oops," I said as Mom laughed.

"Flowers are nice to look at, baby girl, but not to eat," Mom said, kissing Sofia's cheek.

"How much do I owe you?" I asked, getting my wallet out.

She waved her hand. "Don't worry about it. Just let me know how she reacts."

"Mom, I have to pay," I said. "You're running a business."

"It's one bouquet. I give Emmett free flowers for Rosalie all the time."

I laughed. "No wonder he gives her them just because."

"Oh, no," she said. "He always has a reason. Trust me."

"I knew it," I said, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome. I love you."

I picked the flowers up, keeping them away from Little One, who was reaching for them. "Love you, too."

Little One cried most of the way home, probably because she could see the flowers and couldn't have them. When we got home, I changed and fed her before heading across the hall. I set Little One's car seat down, put the flowers behind my back, and knocked on Bella's door. She opened it with a smile, and I pulled the flowers out.

"I'm sorry for causing you to get hurt," I said as she took them.

"You're sweet," she said, putting them to her nose. "And these are beautiful. Thank you."

I kissed her before picking up Little One and heading inside. Bella went to her kitchen and pulled a vase out. I put the car seat down and picked Sofia up. Of course her eyes were glued on the flowers. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Someone likes the pretty flowers," Bella said, cutting the stems. "Your daddy is so thoughtful, isn't he?"

I nodded my head. "I am, aren't I?"

"And a little full of himself," she laughed, picking up a flower and coming closer. "Do you want to touch it?"

"No," I said, holding Sofia's arm down. "She'll eat it. She about devoured a rose in the flower shop."

"Oh, then I'm sorry for teasing you, sweetie. Maybe when you're older you can touch flowers again."

"So, are they . . . do you like them?" I asked, shifting Little One to my other arm.

She nodded, standing on her toes to kiss me. I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers, enjoying the moment. My thumb caressed behind her ear as the kiss deepened. "They're beautiful," she said as we parted. "You didn't have to, but I love them."

"Good, and how are you feeling?"

She went back to the flowers as I sat down on a bar stool. "I'm okay. The bump isn't very attractive and hurts still, but it's getting better."

"That's good. And you're still beautiful." I smirked. She blushed, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. "So, would you like me to cook?"

"Oh, no. I ordered pizza. It should be here any minute. I just didn't feel like cooking."

"Are you sure you're feeling okay? The effects of a concussion—"

She cut me off. "I'm fine, Edward. Really."

"All right, as long as you're sure."

She smiled, putting the flowers in the vase. "I am."

When the pizza came, we ate on her couch and started a movie. Little One was playing with a toy in the portable crib, keeping herself happy and content. I sat at one end of the couch, and Bella sat next to me with her legs over my lap. The entire scene was . . . comfortable.

This was comfortable and it had gotten comfortable too quickly, it seemed. I went from single and happy, to being a father, to being a father with a girlfriend in a matter of months. But honestly, I was happier now than I ever was before.

And that fucking freaked me out.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Fucked Up**

"Dude, you've barely spoken," Jasper said, taking a break from batting. "What's up?"

I shook my head, raising my bat again for the next pitch. "Nothing," I said, hitting the ball, and then the remote to stop it from pitching another. I turned to him. "What's up with you? Didn't you have something to tell me?"

Emmett couldn't make it, so it was just Jasper and me at the cages. We had been here for about a half hour, so I was ready to take a break. Actually, I was ready to leave. Work had left me exhausted, and Little One kept me up late last night because of her teething.

"Yeah, I figured I'd tell you over a beer," he said. "You're not . . . normal right now."

I took a drink of my water before screwing the lid back on. "I'm fine. Are you ready to go?"

He shrugged. "If you are."

Over the past few days things with Bella had changed. Well, for me they had. She probably hadn't noticed. I couldn't help but feel this wasn't what I wanted. I was happy, but maybe that wasn't . . . real? Fuck, I had no idea what I was thinking. All I knew was things were moving too fast, and I was freaked out. Maybe I wasn't cut out for a relationship.

When Jasper and I got to the bar, I quickly drank my first beer. He just kept looking at me. It was fucking weird. "What?" I asked, getting tired of it.

"I know you," he said as the waitress brought another round. "And I know right now something is going on, and it's fucking with your head."

"I don't know. It's just shit with Bella. Now, what's up with you?"

He grinned like an idiot. "I love Alice."

"Okay, and we needed to go out for you to tell me this? I already knew it anyway."

"I want to marry her."

I about choked on my beer. "What?"

"I'm not saying I'm going to ask her right now, but . . . she's the one. I just know."

"You're serious?" I asked, blinking in shock. "You've only been with her for a few months."

"I know!" he laughed. "And I feel insane for even thinking about it yet, but I just . . . know."

I was a little speechless. What the fuck was I supposed to say? I wanted to tell him he was an idiot and this was just fucking insane, but from the ridiculous grin on his face, I knew I shouldn't. "Have you two talked about it?" I asked.

"No, I mean, not really. We talked about the future a little. She wants to get married someday, I want to get married someday, but we didn't talk about _us_ getting married."

"I . . . I didn't see this coming," I said, taking another swig of my beer.

"Yeah, me either, but a few days ago, it just hit me. I love her more than I ever thought I could. She's the most important person in the world to me."

I cracked a smile. "So, I'm out of that spot?"

He laughed, grabbing a peanut. "You were never in that spot. So, what do you think? Should I?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, man. I think that's your decision."

"Yeah. I guess I just wanted to see if it sounded as crazy as I thought." His smile faded as he chewed the peanut.

"It's crazy," I said. "But I guess . . . you're the only one who knows. I say if you feel it's right, do it."

Okay, I didn't technically believe that, but I didn't want to be a dick. Jasper had been a good friend through all this shit in my life lately. He supported me, so it was only right I do the same, even though I wanted to scream at him not to. Marriage . . . really? My best friend wanted to get married, was happy, and here I was, trying to figure out what the hell I was doing.

"I want to," he said, nodding. "Not quite yet, but soon. Maybe I'll start looking at rings." He smirked. "Alice is particular. I hope I don't fuck up."

"Ask Bella to help."

"That's a great idea. Thanks. So, you have shit going on with her . . . Are you going to tell me?"

I chugged the rest of my beer. "I'm happy."

He laughed. "That's good, Edward."

"But I'm . . . freaked out by it. I don't think I'm ready for a relationship. I mean, look around us. I could take one of these chicks home tonight. Well, I could if it wasn't for Sofia. I don't know if I'm ready to give that up."

He rolled his eyes. "You're a moron."

I cocked my head. "Excuse you?"

"You wouldn't take any of these chicks home. I don't know what the hell has gotten into you, but Bella has been amazing for you. If you fuck that up, there's seriously something wrong with you."

"It's too simple," I said. "She saved my ass with Little One, so maybe I just liked her because of that. It was easy."

"It was easy because you like her. She's good for you, for your daughter."

"Exactly my point. If I didn't have Sofia, maybe I'd never have gotten to know her."

"You're afraid of commitment. And now you're committed, so you're fucking it up. Don't. Have you talked to Bella? Does she know about this?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Well, stop talking to me and go home. That's where I'm going." He stood up, throwing money on the table. "Please, Edward, you're my friend, and I really don't want to see you ruin this. Think about it."

I nodded, pulling my wallet out. "I will."

"And next time we go to the cages, don't bail on it thirty minutes in."

I chuckled. "Work plus cranky kid makes me exhausted."

"Whatever. I work harder everyday than you do. You surgeons have it easy," he said as we walked out.

"Bullshit. My paycheck is bigger for a reason."

"Inflamed ego, inflamed paycheck . . . And yet, I have to remind you of your patient's name."

I unlocked my car, laughing. "Night. I'll see you tomorrow, when you remind me of my patient's names."

"See ya," he said, getting in his truck.

. . . . .

My entire life had changed drastically because of my daughter, and now, it had changed again because of Bella. Did I like her? Yes, I really did. But was I ready for this? I just wasn't sure. Talking with Jasper hadn't really helped me figure anything out. He told me not to fuck this up, but I kept thinking maybe I wouldn't be fucking it up. Maybe I'd be making it better. If I didn't want to be with Bella, continuing this would be wrong.

"There he is," Bella said, smiling as I walked into my apartment. She was sitting on the floor with Little One, pointing to me.

I smiled, coming closer and leaning down to pick up my little one. She giggled as I kissed her cheek and blew on it. "Hello, baby girl," I said. "Did you have a good day with Bella?"

"She did, except for the teething," Bella said, standing up. I kissed her lips before looking back at Sofia.

"Was it bad?" I asked.

"Crying fits, but that's normal. The teething ring helped a little. I also read you can use your finger to put a little pressure on her gums and that helps. Same premise, I guess."

I smiled. "Thanks, Bella."

"Of course," she said as we sat down on the couch. I played with Sofia in my lap, making her smile and giggle. "So, did you have a good night?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it was fine. Jasper had news."

"Oh? What's that?"

"I'm not sure I'm allowed to tell you. It's about he and Alice."

"He's going to propose." She smiled. "Alice told me."

I laughed. "Alice knows? He said they hadn't talked about it."

"Well, she's suspecting. Seems a little quick, huh?"

"That's what I thought."

"But I guess if you know, you know."

I looked at her, noticing her eyes were . . . off. Normally when she smiled, it showed in her eyes. They lit up . . . or some shit. They weren't doing that right now.

"Yeah, I guess so," I said.

"I talked to my dad today," she said after a few moments. "I'm going to see him for a few days."

"Oh, okay," I said. "Everything all right?"

She nodded. "Yes, I just . . . figured a few days away would be good. I'm leaving tomorrow."

My eyes quickly went from Little One to her. "Tomorrow?"

"I don't know what's going on, but I think you need some alone time, Edward. I'm not stupid, you know?"

I shook my head. "Of course you're not."

"You've been . . . distant. Like I said, I don't know what it is because you haven't told me. I don't know if it's work or Sofia . . . or me, but clearly, something is wrong."

I blinked. "So, you're leaving."

"I'll be back in a few days. If you want to talk then, we can. When I get back, though, you need to have figured out what you want. I like you, I _care_ about you, but I'm not just going to sit here and wait. I thought things were going fine, but obviously, I was wrong."

I sighed, standing up and laying Little One down in her bouncer. "I'm . . . confused."

She nodded. "I know."

"I do like you, and I do care about you."

She smiled. "I know that, too. I also know a lot has changed in your life in a short amount of time, so I understand you need to think about things."

"You're coming back, though, right?"

"Yes, of course. I have a life here, Edward. I'm not going to run away from it just because we might not work out. I adore Sofia, and I want to continue to be a part of her life, no matter what."

"She loves you," I said, smiling softly.

"And I love her. So, take some time and think. If this isn't what you want, then it's not fair to either of us to keep going."

I nodded. "I'm sorry, Bella."

She stood up, wrapping her arm around me. I leaned down and pressed my lips to the top of her head. "Don't be," she said. "Just figure it out, okay?"

She lifted her head, and I kissed her. "I will," I said as we parted.

. . . . .

"I know, Little One," I said, swaying around her room with her at two in the morning. "I know it hurts."

No teeth had cut through yet, but Little One was sure feeling the pain from them. We had been up for hours, and I just couldn't calm her down. I tried a bath, I tried her teething ring, but it wasn't working. I even tried reading, but it wasn't like she could hear me over her screaming.

I wiped the tears off of her red cheeks and opened her mouth to look at her bottom gums. I ran my finger over them, adding light pressure like Bella said. "You're okay," I said, kissing her forehead. "I'm sorry you're in pain."

I sat down in the rocking chair with her, keeping my finger running over her gums. It took a while, but she did eventually fall back to sleep. I laid her against my chest and kept rocking, making sure she was going to stay asleep.

Little One did stay asleep, but she was up earlier than normal . . . crying more. If this was going to be our life for the next few months, I just wanted to fucking kill myself. I gave her a dose of Tylenol — I called the pediatrician first to make sure it was okay — before taking her to daycare. Thankfully, she had calmed down by then.

My work day was hell, too. Fucking terrible, actually. I lost a patient who was brought in after a car accident. I tried so damn hard, but it didn't matter. She was gone, and there was nothing I could have done. That didn't stop me from spending my afternoon trying to figure out if I could have, though. If I had done something differently, maybe she wouldn't have died. I did it every time I lost a patient. I'd go over the chart, run it all through my head over and over, and try to come up with a way to have saved the patient.

"That," Dad said, closing the chart in front of me, "isn't going to change anything."

I looked up to find him offering me a cup of coffee. "Thanks," I said, taking it. "And how do you know I'm not going to find something?"

He sighed. "Even if you did, it wouldn't change the fact the patient is gone. Also, I know you did everything you could, so you won't find anything."

I sat back, ruining my hand over my face as he sat down next to me at the table in the doctor's lounge. "I didn't need this today," I said. "I barely slept last night because of Sofia, Bella left for her dad's, and I'm just . . . confused about us."

"Ah, relationship issues. You upset her so much she left town?"

I shrugged. "I was distant. She thought I needed time to _think_."

"Do you?"

"I don't know. Maybe time apart will be good. We're always together."

He nodded as I drank more. He brought the good coffee. "Your mother left me once."

"What?" I said, fucking shocked.

"Completely different situation than what you're in, but she did. The time apart probably saved our marriage. It made me realize what I had and what I was losing. Needless to say, she wasn't gone long. I quickly realized I couldn't live without her."

"I don't think Bella and I are in that type of situation. We've only been together for a month and a half."

"True, but do you wish you could go home tonight and talk to her about losing your patient? Would she make you feel better?"

Of course she would. She had before. "Yeah."

"You should spend the next few days thinking about what she does for you, thinking about what you do for her. If you find you want — need — her during some of those moments, then maybe you won't be so confused. But what do I know? I've only been married for forty years."

"I'm afraid," I admitted. "I've never been in a relationship before, and I'm afraid I'll get too close, and she'll realize she doesn't want this. I'm also afraid I'll fuck up — that I'll go back to how I was. I don't want to hurt her."

"Well, she's not going to be around for the next few days. Have you considered going out?"

I creased my brow. "Of course not. I'd never—oh."

He chuckled. "'Oh' is right. I have no doubt that you won't go back to how you were. I think you're most afraid of being in love and losing it."

"I don't think I love her yet. It's too soon."

"I knew I loved your mother the moment I met her," he said, smiling. "I think you love her."

"I care about her, but love is another thing."

He stood up, fixing his tie. "Sure it is."

"You're really just going to walk away after saying that?" I asked, glaring. "Help me."

He patted my shoulder. "I can help you with a lot of things, son, but this isn't one of them. Just think about everything."

Before I could say anything else, he turned and walked out of the lounge, leaving me even more confused.

. . . . .

Since Bella had gone to her dad's, I was alone for dinner. Instead of attempting anything, I ordered takeout as I played on the floor with Sofia. Sesame chicken, come to papa.

"You are in a _much_ better mood," I said, tickling Little One's belly as she sat in my lap, propped up against my chest.

I was kind of amazed at how far she'd come. She had basically mastered rolling over both ways, and she was now learning to sit up. I could put her on the floor, and she'd stay up for a good while without any help. And when she was on her belly, she was starting to move a little. She couldn't crawl yet — thank god — but she was certainly figuring shit out.

"Want to play ball?" I asked, kissing her cheek.

I moved her from my lap and set her down, facing me. I kept my hand on her back, just so she wouldn't topple over. I rolled the bright yellow ball between her legs, and she laughed, picking it up and putting it to her mouth, getting her slobber all over it. When she dropped it, I picked it back up and rolled again. We continued this for a little while until she got bored. I laid her down on her stomach, and she kicked her legs, trying to get moving. Her little grunts were . . . so fucking cute. I couldn't help but laugh.

Once my food arrived, I sat back down on the floor with her, eating as she tried her damnedest to get moving. She wasn't going anywhere, though, so I just ate and let her try until she wore herself out. When I noticed she had, I pulled the play set over and laid her on the mat, letting her bat at the toys above her.

As I sat there, alone except for Sofia, I started to wonder what the hell I did before Bella. Sure, the TV was on, but I was a little . . . lonely. I wanted to call her. I wanted to tell her about my shitty day, and she'd just make me feel better. Honestly, after talking to Jasper and Dad, I was starting to realize my main reasons for acting like this about Bella were lies. I didn't want to be with anyone else, and I knew I wouldn't fuck up and cheat on her. The comfort in our relationship was what really freaked me out, but comfort was nice. Maybe it was so comfortable because it was right.

Right now, my head was all kinds of fucked up. I couldn't even explain to myself what the real issue was. I seemed to be making an issue out of nothing. Why couldn't I just be happy? Why did I have to go and fuck it up? I was afraid of a commitment, but I was already committed.

. . . . .

"I think I might love Bella," I said, giving Little One her rice cereal. She'd already had her bottle, so I was trying the usual nightly cereal. And as usual, she didn't want it. "And I think I'm afraid I'll get close and it won't work out."

She just looked at and me, keeping her mouth shut as I moved the spoon along her lips.

"I'm so damn confused, Little One. I really like her, maybe love her, but I'm fuc—messing it up. I need to talk to her, but she won't be back for two more days. I . . . miss her."

She opened her mouth a little, so I put a small amount on her tongue. Amazingly, she didn't spit it out.

"That's my good girl," I said, grinning as she licked her lips. I gave her a little more, and she took it. A small victory was still a victory. Ever since I started her on this, she had barely been eating it. Soon, though, I planned to start her on puréed shit, but she needed to eat this right now. "So, do you have any advice for me about Bella?" I laughed.

She opened her mouth again, actually wanting some. Hell yes! Maybe she'd keep this up.

"I'm thinking when she gets back, the first thing I have to do is apologize," I said, wiping her chin and giving her more. "I hurt her by doing this. I don't have the answers, but I want to work it out, and I need her to be able to do that."

After getting her to eat a good amount, I cleaned up the high chair and took Little One into the bathroom for her favorite thing. As I washed her hair, I used the shampoo to mold it into a mohawk. I laughed, and she looked at me like I was disturbing her. I thought it was funny. I quickly washed it out and ran more warm water over her body before getting her out.

After laying her down, I went back into the living room to pick up her mess. As I put things away, my phone went off in my pocket. I pulled it out and found a text from Bella.

 **How's Sofia?-Bella**

 **She's all right. How are you?-Edward**

 **Okay. Dad goes to sleep early . . . like Sofia LOL. I just wanted to see how she was . . . and you?-Bella**

I smiled as I sat down and typed a reply.

 **I'm fine, Bella. So, I've thought about everything and I miss you.-Edward**

 **:-) I miss you too. So you'll be ready to talk when I get back?-Bella**

I told her yes and apologized for how I had acted. We continued to text back and forth for a while. She asked about my day, and I told her it was shitty. Even through a text message, she did make me feel better. I was tempted to call her, but then she said she was going to bed. I told her good night and waited for her last text.

 **Good night, Edward. I'll be back in two days.**

Those two days couldn't pass soon enough.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: Flove and Stuff**

The next few days passed slowly, even with work and Little One to keep me occupied. Bella and I had texted a few more times, but no calls. She mostly asked about Sofia, and nothing was mentioned about us. I seriously fucking missed her, which felt odd. Only days before I was considering calling it quits, but I now knew that wasn't what I wanted. We'd work it out, as long as she let us. I was worried she'd be pissed at me for doing this shit. It would be understandable, after all. I just hoped she'd let me make it right.

"How one little baby can have this many clothes still makes me scratch my head," I said, folding Sofia's clothes I had just gotten out of the dryer. "Not to mention the blankets."

She looked up at me from her swing, dropping the rattle toy she had been playing with. "Yeah, I'm talking about you," I laughed as she mimicked me and laughed, too. The laughing was a hell of a lot better than her crying fits, which had continued to leave me sleep deprived.

As I laid a folded pile down in the laundry basket, my phone rang from its spot on the end table. I grabbed it and saw Bella's name on the screen. I quickly accepted and put it to my ear. "Hey, Bella," I said. "Are you on your way back?"

"Well, I was," she sighed, sounding frustrated. "I need your help."

I picked up the laundry basket and started walking back toward Little One's nursery. "Of course. What's wrong?"

"My truck broke down."

I smirked, trying not to laugh at the expectedness of it. "That's not surprising."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was a piece of crap, whatever, but it was still _mine_ , so don't."

"I called it a piece of shit," I laughed, putting the basket down on the floor, "but I'll shut up now. Where are you?"

"About ten miles outside of town, one the side of the 101. You really can't miss me."

"All right, let me get Little One loaded up, and we'll be there. Have you called a tow truck?"

"Yeah, but I just didn't want to . . . you know, ride with a stranger."

"Stranger danger?" I laughed.

"Dad's a cop, remember? I was conditioned not to trust strangers."

"Got it," I said, grabbing the car seat and diaper bag before heading back to the living room. "Call me if you need me."

"Thanks, Edward."

"You're welcome."

I checked Sofia's diaper before putting her in the car seat and popping her pacifier in her mouth. She was on her way to a nap anyway, so I hoped the car ride would help her go down. It didn't. In fact, as soon as I pulled out of the lot, she started crying.

"You had been doing so well today, Little One," I said. "Why did you have to start crying now? When you know I can't get to you?"

I glanced into the mirror, which showed me her reflection in the mirror attached to the back headrest. Her face was its normal shade of angry red when she cried like this. Fuck. Her cries were horrible . . . painful sounding to me. I had realized a while back I would never be able to let her just cry, so not being able to comfort her fucking sucked. Maybe I was a "softy", like Bella said. Little One had turned me into that . . . Great.

When I finally saw Bella's truck parked on the shoulder, I pulled over in front of it. She got out of the cab as I opened the back door to get Little One. I really didn't want to listen to more crying on the drive back.

"Oh, has she been like that the whole ride?" Bella asked as I held Sofia close and rubbed her back.

"Yeah, since the moment we pulled out of the lot, actually," I said. "And she had been doing so well today. She even ate the cereal this morning."

"Well, that's progress." She smiled, taking Little One's hand and caressing it.

I moved my hand from Sofia and reached to put my arm around Bella, but she moved away. Shit.

"I'm going to grab my bag," she said. "The tow truck should be here any minute. We don't have to wait."

I nodded. "All right."

I laid Little One back down in her car seat and buckled her up. She had eased up on the screaming, but she was still clearly upset. I grabbed her teething ring from the diaper bag and gave it to her, hoping it'd soothe her pain. Thankfully, she started gnawing away at it.

As I drove back, it was clear Bella wasn't happy with me. She was mostly silent, but answered my questions with a few words. For some reason, I was pretty sure flowers wouldn't fix this. Emmett was a liar.

"What are you going to do about your truck?" I asked, glancing over at her.

"I'm sure it's gone, so I'll have to get a new car," she sighed. "I'll miss it, but it's not unexpected, I guess. It's been around a long time."

I smirked. "It's ancient."

"Yeah, Edward, I know," she huffed as I turned into the lot of our building.

"Please, let me explain," I said, parking the car and turning to her. "I know you're upset with how I treated you, and that's understandable, but you have to let me explain."

She looked at me as she took off her seatbelt. "I'll let you. Let me put my stuff away and make a few calls. I'll come over in a little while."

"I'll make lunch, if you want."

I didn't miss her small smile. "Okay."

. . . . .

Little One wasn't quite ready to go down for her nap when we got into our apartment, so I put her in her high chair as I made lunch for Bella and me — Mac and Cheese, my idiot proof specialty. I probably should've used what she had taught me, but to be honest, most of those lessons I spent with my attention on _her_ , not her words. Still, it was only lunch. Maybe I could actually try to cook dinner for her some other time.

It didn't take long to make, and Bella still hadn't come over. Well, shit. I guess she was getting heated up Mac and Cheese. By the time I had finished, Sofia was looking a little tired, so I picked her up out of the high chair. I brought her into the nursery and sat in the rocking chair, hoping to lull her to sleep. It worked, thank-fucking-god. I actually almost dozed off, too.

Well, until I heard a knock on the door. I quickly laid Little One down in her crib and grabbed the monitor, sliding it in my back pocket. When I opened the door, I smiled, but Bella really didn't. Shit. What if she didn't . . . forgive me for fucking up?

"Hey," I said, moving so she could walk in. "Lunch is ready."

She nodded. "Oh, good. I hope I didn't make you wait too long. I had to call the tow company. I need to clean out my truck and pay them, and then they'll send it to the junkyard."

She was obviously sad, so I figured cracking a joke wasn't the best idea. "I'm sorry about your truck."

She sat down on the bar stool and shrugged. "Me too."

After heating up the Mac and Cheese, I sat down next to her to eat. I asked her about her trip to see her dad, and she said it was good — that she missed him. She told me how they went fishing and it gave her time to think.

"I was an asshole," I said as I grabbed our bowls and dumped them in the sink. "I freaked out."

She looked at me with an eyebrow raised. "You were, and I know you did."

Wow, blunt. "Do you . . . want to go into the living room to talk?"

She nodded, standing up. I followed her to the couch, sitting down next to her, facing her. She nibbled on her bottom lip as she waited for me to start. Fuck, that nibble. I missed that these last few days.

I decided just throwing it out there would probably be best. I had wasted enough of her time. "I'm . . . scared," shit, that was hard to admit, "of a relationship."

"I know," she said. "It's not shocking, you know? I've . . . kind of been waiting for this."

"You have?" I asked, creasing my brow. "You've just been waiting for me to fuck up?"

She quickly shook her head. "No, but I knew this was different for you. I expected you to question it, if that makes sense. Though, I didn't expect you to just shut me out. That hurt, Edward."

"It was that obvious, huh?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "You completely changed that night on my couch. You left early, and then you didn't even come over the next night, and when I came here, you pretty much gave me the cold shoulder. You did that for days. It was shitty."

I rubbed my face with my hands. "I know."

"You could have said you just needed time."

"I know, but . . . I've never been in a relationship, Bella," I said, looking back up at her. "I'm fucking clueless about all of this. I never wanted a relationship, either."

"Do you want one now? Because if not, now's the time to say. Honestly, Edward, I'm pissed at you," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Like I said, you hurt me. You made me feel like no one special, and I'm _not_ all right with that. I like you, and I want to be with you, but I'm _not_ going to let you use me."

"I'm not going to."

She moved closer, placing her hand against my face, forcing me to look her straight in the eyes. "I will leave you _so_ fast if you do this again. I understand you needed this . . . freak out, or whatever it was, but if it happens again, it's over."

I nodded as she dropped her hand. "I want to be with you, and I'm _so_ sorry for hurting you. That wasn't my intention, but I didn't know how to . . . Shit, explaining isn't easy," I laughed awkwardly.

"Just say it," she said, smiling and clasping her hand around mine.

"I didn't know how to act. I'm happy. Really happy, and it freaked me the fuck out. I was worried I'd go back to how I was — that maybe I missed that. But I don't. I don't miss it, Bella. I mean, I miss sex."

She rolled her eyes, scoffing. "Really?"

I smirked. "But I don't miss sex with women I don't know."

"Well, that makes me feel better," she laughed.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't want to be with anyone else. I want to be with _you_. I missed you while you were gone. I missed talking to you. You're . . . amazing."

She smiled, blushing. "Thank you."

"You are, Bella. You're like no one else. I can't honestly understand why you'd want to be with me, though," I laughed.

"You're funny, and I love the person you are. You are caring, Edward, even if you don't think so. How you stayed with me the other week . . . that showed me how caring you are. And when you're with Sofia, I swear, it's the sweetest thing."

"I'm really not that caring."

"You're a doctor. If you didn't care, why are you?" she asked, pulling her leg under her. "Why does it affect you so much when you lose a patient if you don't care? Under your shell, I think you care a lot, and you're a great person."

I smiled. "Okay, so I'm 'caring'."

She laughed. "Don't make it sound like a bad thing. It's a good thing. A very good thing."

"All right, it's not a bad thing. I care about you a lot, Bella. More than I ever thought I could. You scared the shit out of me that night in the bowling alley."

"It probably won't be the last incident of clumsiness you see."

I pulled her close, kissing her softly.

"I am very sorry for how I acted. Will you give me another chance?" I asked. She smiled, pulling her lip between her teeth as she nodded. "Thank you."

"I'm serious, though," she said. "I'm not letting you do it again."

I brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I won't do it again. I . . I love you."

Her eyes widened as her mouth opened slightly. A squeak come out, but that was all.

"Shit," I cursed. "Too soon. Shit."

She put her finger to my lips, silencing me. "You . . . love me?" I nodded. "Oh." Her finger fell as she blinked.

"Did I just fuck it up again?"

She moved closer, to me, running her hand through my hair. A smile formed on her lips, turning into a grin. "I love you too, but I didn't want to say it and scare you away."

I laughed before kissing her for a moment. "It's a good thing I said it first," I chuckled.

I pulled her over onto my lap. She pressed her chest against mine as our lips continued to move together. My hands trailed down her back, resting on her firm ass, giving it a little squeeze. She giggled softly, moving her lips down my jaw as her fingers entwined with my hair, tugging and pulling lightly.

She pulled her mouth away from mine, meeting my gaze. "Will Sofia be asleep for a while?" she asked before pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

Oh, dear God I hoped so. "She better," I said, holding her to me as I stood up. She wrapped her legs tightly around my waist. Her lips went along my jaw again, kissing me . . . distracting me from walking. I almost ran us into the wall before my door.

Clothes seemed to fly off once we got into my room. I told her I loved her, and she started attacking. Okay, not really, but her lips and hands were everywhere. She was on top of me, kissing my neck. I moved my hands around her waist, over the small string of her thong to her ass. Those needed to come off. Now.

I flipped her over, so we were on our sides. I caressed her cheek, noticing her blush. Her chest was even flushed. Beautiful. She panted softly, looking in my eyes. "I want you," I said, kissing her.

She nodded, humming in agreement. I moved a hand down her stomach, slipping my fingers under the band and pulling her thong down. She wiggled and lifted, kicking them off. I pushed her onto her back, spreading her legs as my hand moved back up. She gasped when I touched her clit. I smirked, moving my finger in slow circles. I kissed her neck, down to her collar bone as her fingers tugged softly on my hair. Soft moans escaped her lips as I continued to smirk, knowing she was enjoying it. I moved my finger into her, going in and out slowly. She felt so fucking good around my finger. I just wanted to actually _be_ in her, but she deserved patience. She deserved to feel amazing first.

Holy shit, that was a first.

"Do you like it?" I asked, whispering in her ear. She bit her lip, nodding feverishly. "I love you, Nibbles."

She laughed softly as I pumped faster, adding another finger. I rubbed my thumb over her clit again. The laughing was interrupted by more moaning. Fucking hell, I _loved_ the sounds she made, not just moans, but the gasps and mumbling I couldn't understand, too. I noticed her other hand reach out, gripping the sheet. I heard my name over and over, along with God's as she came.

I pressed my lips back to hers, silencing her because she was getting pretty damn loud. Apparently, I didn't do it soon enough, though.

"Son of a bitch," I cursed, hearing Little One's wails loud and clear.

Bella laughed, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth. I looked at her incredulously. _This_ wasn't funny. This meant it was over, and I was fucking hard, with no relief in sight.

"It's not funny," I said, bringing my hand up to her side, tickling her.

She pushed my hand away, still laughing. "I'm sorry, but it is!"

I sat up, looking back at her. "You're not the one who has to go get her . . . with a damn hard-on."

"Get her back to sleep, and I'll take care of that." She smirked.

I got out of bed, pulling on my boxers, and then my jeans. "Damn straight," I mumbled, trying to figure out where she threw my shirt. Shit.

"Excuse you?" she asked, covering herself up with the sheet.

"I asked where my shirt was," I lied.

She rolled her eyes. "Sure, you did. And it's over there," she pointed, "by your desk. Where did I toss my panties?"

I grabbed my shirt, shrugging. "Check the bed. I don't think they went far."

I rushed into Little One's room, finding an angry baby in the crib. I quickly picked her up, smelling the reason _my_ time was interrupted. "You couldn't have waited?" I asked, laying her on the changing table. "Daddy was . . . occupied."

I made quick work of her diaper before getting her dressed again. As I picked her up, I looked to the door and noticed Bella leaning against it with a smile on her lips. Little One rested her head on my shoulder as she gripped my shirt in her little fist.

"She's probably hungry," I said, making my way to Bella. I leaned down, kissing her softly. She was . . . beautiful. Almost glowing, as strange as the sounded.

She sighed as we parted. "I can give her a bottle. You know, if you need to . . . shower." I wanted to wipe that smirk off of her face. She just laughed at my scowl.

"I think that's probably a good idea," I said. "You know, she might be able to occupy herself for a while if you put her in the swing after her bottle." I winked. "You could join me."

She laughed softly. "As much as I want to, I think I'll pass. I've missed this little girl."

I sighed, passing her Sofia, who still looked half asleep. "Fine. I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Don't sound so devastated." She smirked, rolling her eyes. "Good things come to those who wait."

. . . . .

I turned the shower on cold, letting the water rush over me. I held out hope that maybe, just _maybe_ the curtain would be pulled open, and I'd find a naked, gorgeous woman standing before me. That didn't happen, which fucking sucked. Then again, I guess it wasn't all bad. I put Bella's pleasure before mine today — something I had never done. And, to be honest, it felt . . . good, making her feel like that. She deserved it. She was so damn beautiful. Her face was etched in my mind.

Once I got out of the shower, I walked into the living room to find Bella still giving Little One her bottle. She was speaking softly, smiling as she cooed at my daughter. She loved her. She loved her like Sofia deserved to be loved by a woman. And I loved Bella. I loved the person she was. I loved her kindness — her goodness. How she saw past the person I was, and brought out the good in me. I never thought I could be in love. I never thought I'd be _that_ guy, but she made me that guy. She showed me happiness I never knew existed. She made me a better person, and I didn't even realize she was doing it.

I watched as she put Sofia against her shoulder, patting her back softly. Bella whispered that Little One was a good girl after she burped and Bella wiped her mouth.

"There's Daddy," Bella said, holding Sofia so her back was to Bella stomach. Bella pointed at me as Little One smiled and lifted her hand as well.

I walked over and kneeled down in front of them, taking Sofia's hand with a smile. "Are you going to be a happy girl now?" I asked. "Showing off for Bella, huh?"

Bella kissed the top of her head. "She's always a happy girl. A happy, good girl."

I scoffed. "You should spend the night. She's not so happy then."

She took Little One's hand and placed it against my face. "Say, I'm sorry for keeping you up, Daddy, but I wove you," she laughed.

I chuckled, kissing Sofia's forehead. "I 'wove' you too, baby girl."

Comfort . . . it wasn't a bad thing. In fact, it was good. Really good, actually. Still, Bella and I had a ways to go. Our relationship was just beginning. There were still things we didn't know about each other, and I wanted to know everything.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Finally**

"She has a fever," I said, holding Little One close as I pressed the back of my hand to her forehead. "I don't think it's that high, though."

Bella passed me a baby wipe, which I used to clean the excessive drool off of Sofia's puffy red cheeks and chin. "It's from the teething, right?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Yeah. At least, I hope so."

She ran her hand over Little One's head, kissing her forehead softly. It was almost midnight and Bella was about to go home, but Sofia's horrid screaming — which I was getting _very_ used to — stopped her in her tracks. She followed behind me into the nursery, wanting to check on my little one for herself.

"Poor girl," she said, sighing. "I can stay."

"You don't have to, Bella. I'm getting used to her like this. I hate it, but I don't think it's going away any time soon."

"I _want_ to stay." Her eyes held a look of determination. Who was I to deny her?

I nodded. "Okay, do you want to rock her? I'm going to grab her teething ring from the freezer."

She held her arms out, and I passed Sofia along, who was still crying. Bella moved across the room, sitting down in the rocking chair. She held Little One close, speaking so softly and rocking gently. She kissed her forehead over and over. It was . . . a sight I enjoyed for some reason. This woman was amazing with my child. She was just an amazing human being.

I left the nursery for the kitchen, grabbing the teething ring and thermometer. When I came back in, I gave Bella the plastic piece and kneeled down, sliding the thermometer into Little One's ear. She squirmed and fussed even louder for the moment it took to beep.

"It's not even over one-hundred and one," I said. "I really think it's from the teething."

Bella nodded, continuing to rock Sofia gently. Thankfully, Little One took the plastic into her mouth and chewed, helping to silence her wails. I stayed kneeled down, keeping my hand on my daughter for a little while as she calmed down.

"She looks like an angel," Bella said.

I looked up at her, smiling. "A loud angel."

She laughed softly. "Okay, yes, but she's so beautiful. You make cute babies, Dr. Cullen."

I grinned. "What can I say? I really do."

Once Little One had drifted to sleep, Bella laid her down in the crib. I kissed my daughter's forehead before we slipped out of the room. Bella's hand slid into mine as she smiled, pulling me across the hall.

"You don't mind if I stay, right?" she asked.

Oh, she still wanted to stay . . . nice. "Not at all."

We never did get another chance after Little One cockblocked me a few days ago, and from the way Bella was looking at me, it seemed she wanted it, too. Dear god, I seriously wanted it. Needed was more like it. My balls were so damn blue it wasn't funny.

Once we were in my room, she wrapped her arms around my torso, standing on her toes so our lips could meet. It was a slow, soft kiss. Our lips moved together as I pulled her closer, slipping my hand around her back and under her shirt, feeling her warm skin.

"I love you," she whispered.

I kissed her again. "I love you, too."

They were simple words, really, but words I had never thought of saying to a woman — at least not until Bella. Though they were simple, I knew she understood the weight of them coming from me. They made her smile and blush, and I very much enjoyed that.

We worked each other out of our clothes, and I laid her down on the bed, moving my lips over her chest and belly. When I kissed just below her navel, she shivered lightly. I worked my way back up, taking my time to worship her body. Her _fucking_ perfect body that I couldn't get enough of. I wanted to touch every inch of it. I wanted to feel her quiver under my touch and hear the soft gasps escape her lips.

She placed a hand against my cheek as I slid back up her body. She rose up to meet my lips, letting her other hand run down my chest. Lower and lower. I broke our kiss, leaning over to my bedside table and pulling open the drawer.

"Good boy," she said.

I smirked, looking back at her as I grabbed a condom. "Little One is enough, wouldn't you say?"

She nodded. "Plenty."

She took the condom from me, pushing me onto my back. She ripped it open and rolled it on slowly, making me even more painfully hard. Jesus Christ. I pulled her down on me, flipping us back over as I pressed my lips back to hers, moving them slowly down her jaw and to her neck.

"Are you sure?" I asked, parting her leg with mine.

"Yes," she panted. "Yes."

I pushed into her, taking my time. Damn, I had missed this feeling. But every motion felt better than what I remembered. Bella was . . . she felt _unbelievable._ I fucking . . . god, I fucking loved it. She rocked her hips against mine, lifting her leg around me. I ran my tongue over her neck, kissing the soft skin as I continued my movements. She threw her head back, moaning as I did. Her hand came up to my shoulder, griping it tightly as the bed creaked.

"Jesus, baby," I groaned, moving my fingers to her clit. "So good."

She mumbled incoherently, tightening her grip on my arm as I picked up my pace, rocking into her and circling her clit with my fingers. I moved my mouth back up to hers, nipping at her bottom lip as she shook and cried out. I wasn't far behind her, grunting her name as I collapsed beside her.

I panted, blinking as Bella curled into my side, placing her head against my chest. I removed the condom, throwing it in the trashcan beside the bed before wrapping my arm around her. I looked down at her face, which held a smile.

"You're beautiful," I said. "So fucking beautiful."

She laughed softly. "I don't know if you can see it, but I'm blushing."

I tilted her chin, kissing her softly. "My mission to make you blush as much as possible is going well."

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up or I'm going home."

I pulled her closer, wrapping both my arms around her. "Hell no. You're not going anywhere. I'm not even almost done with you."

. . . . .

I woke up, feeling a warm body against mine. I opened my eyes, looking down at Bella, who lay in my arms, peacefully asleep. I lifted the blanket, raising my head to look down. I smiled to myself, enjoying the view of her _fucking_ nice body. Suddenly, she turned over onto her stomach, and I lost visual of her boobs. Damn.

I quietly got out of bed, looking at my phone for missed calls from the hospital. Nothing, but I did notice it was seven-thirty and Little One hadn't woken me up. I wanted to get on my knees and praise God for the full night's rest, but I didn't and opted to go make sure she was all right before celebrating.

I found my discarded boxers and pulled them on before walking across the hall. I looked down in the crib and found Little One's eyes open, watching me. I lifted her up, holding her close.

"I love you, Little One," I said, kissing her forehead and making my way to the changing table. "Did you sleep well? Daddy did, so thanks for that."

She gurgled, putting her hand in her mouth as I unsnapped the onesie and changed out the dirty diaper — without gloves. Yeah, I had been working on that. Bella told me how fucking ridiculous it was. She was right, of course, but I still didn't like the idea of shit on my hands. Once Sofia was all clean, I took her temperature again, to be sure the fever was gone. Thankfully, it was, but I had a feeling last night wouldn't be the last appearance.

"Are you hungry?" I asked, moving out of her room and toward the kitchen.

I sat her down in the high chair as I made a bottle and started a pot of coffee. She just looked around, making her usual soft noises as she waited to be fed. This good mood was . . . I fucking loved it. Maybe she realized how happy I was? I didn't know, but whatever the reason, I'd take it. This was the first morning in almost a week that she wasn't fussy. She took the bottle easily, drinking until it was gone. I gave her a few moments before mixing up her cereal and putting her back in the high chair.

"I didn't hear her," Bella said, coming into the kitchen — wearing only my t-shirt, mind you. Shit, her legs.

"She didn't cry," I said, offering Little One the spoon. "I just made the coffee."

She smiled, opening the cabinet for a mug. "I can smell. Thanks."

I watched her as she moved around the kitchen, admiring her legs and ass until Little One made an angry noise. I looked back and my kid, surprised it came from her. It was a whine crossed with a scream. I quickly gave her more cereal, which made her happy again.

Okay, don't fuck with Little One and her breakfast.

"Here," Bella said, placing a mug on the counter beside me as she sat down on the other bar stool.

"Thanks," I said, taking a sip.

I watched as she held the mug to her lips, breathing in the aroma before drinking any. She really was beautiful, and I wanted to kick myself for not seeing it from the first moment I saw her. Why hadn't I? How could she have literally been no concern to me? I was a blind fucker for not seeing it. And I was so damn lucky I was given the chance to.

"So, what are you doing today?" I asked, continuing to feed Sofia.

"I have to go to the grocery store," she said. "Do you guys want to come? You know, now that Sofia can ride in my car." She smiled.

Bella had gotten a new car the day after hers went to the scrapyard. I actually took her while Little One spent the day with my parents. She picked out a new Honda Civic, which she said she loved. I wasn't shy about the fact that it was so much better than her truck. I even made a few quips, which got me a slap on the arm.

"Sure," I said. "Little One and I are going back to that Mommy and Me class tomorrow, since I'm off."

She laughed. "Is it wrong I want to come and record you?"

I scowled. "If I see you anywhere near there, you'll regret it."

"I'm kidding! But I know she'll like that. I'm glad you're going again, even if it's not on a regular schedule."

"Yeah, too bad I usually work weekdays," I lied. I was fucking thrilled I had that excuse not to always attend the class.

"Yes, I'm sure you're devastated," she said, laughing softly. "I'm going to go get a shower. I made muffins yesterday. Do you want me to bring some over when I'm done?"

"Is that seriously a question?" I laughed, wiping Little One's face since she was finished.

"Point taken. Don't return without muffins."

She kissed me before leaving the kitchen for my room. When she came back through, she had her pants on, but my shirt was still covering her. I liked seeing her in it, so I wasn't about to say anything. Before she left, I wrapped my arms around her again.

"Thank you," I said, caressing her cheek, making her blush.

"For what?" she asked.

I kissed her, pecking her lips softly. "You know what."

"Yeah, well, I can't say I didn't get just as much enjoyment," she giggled.

I chuckled. "That's good to know." I moved my lips to her ear, telling her I loved her before I kissed her once more.

. . . . .

While she was gone, I quickly showered and dressed Little One for the day. It really hit me how old she was getting when I put her in the little pink dress for six-month olds. Jesus Christ, she was almost _six fucking months old._ Where had the time gone? I couldn't believe I had met my daughter four months ago. It didn't feel like it. It suddenly felt like she was growing up too fast.

"I honestly don't think there's a better baby in the world than you, Little One," I said, putting the flower that matched the dress in her hair. "Do you know how glad I am that I have you?"

She gurgled and cooed, making sounds that I wanted to interpret as words, though I knew they weren't. I picked her up off the changing table and held her above me. "I'm going to need to hear 'daddy' soon," I said, bringing her down and kissing her cheek.

She grabbed a fist full of my hair with one hand as the other made its way to my mouth. I pretended to nibble on her fingers as she giggled and pulled them away. I brought her back out to the living room as we waited for Bella.

We sat on the floor, playing with a ball. I had her sitting on her own with her back against the couch. Her legs were in a V shape to help her with balance, and she was doing pretty damn good, actually.

"Are we going to go bye-bye?" I asked as she titled her head, smiling. I rolled her the ball once more, and she picked it up and dropped it. I reached out and picked it up. "Good girl."

After a few minutes, she seemed to get bored, so I laid her down on her belly. I watched as she managed to actually _move_. She inched her body forward, scooting on her stomach. Shit. She was getting mobile.

There was a knock on my door, so I yelled for Bella to come in since I didn't want to move just yet. This was a big fucking deal. Scooting led to crawling, which would lead to walking. And walking meant Little One getting into shit, which I _seriously_ wasn't ready for.

"She's moving!" Bella exclaimed, coming to sit down next to me. She handed me the baggie of muffins, and I grabbed one out.

"This is bad," I said. "My apartment isn't baby safe."

"Well, we'll make it safe," she said as I ate the muffin. "I mean, it's not like she's going to start walking around tomorrow."

"Yeah," I sighed. "Shit, you know she'll be six months old next week?"

She smiled, nodding. "Yep. August second."

I cocked my head. "You knew that off the top of your head?"

"Of course I did. She may be your daughter, but you know I love her. I know things. Besides, your mom called me yesterday and asked if I wanted to go shopping with her this week. Sofia is going to grow out of her clothes soon, and Esme said she doesn't have many things for her age now."

"Yeah, some of her sleepers and onesies are getting tight. So, shopping with my mom?" I smirked.

"I like your mom . . . a lot, actually. She's so nice."

"Best damn mom in the world."

"N'aww, you and your momma's boy tendencies are precious," she laughed as I finished my muffin.

I stood up, picking Little One up off of the floor. She hadn't moved far, but I still found it intimidating that she moved at all. "So, grocery store and then more sex, right?" I asked Bella.

Her jaw dropped. "Edward!"

I chuckled, passing her Sofia. "I'm . . . Well, I was going to say I'm kidding, but I'm not."

She shook her head, walking back to Sofia's nursery as I followed. "You're . . . something else," she said.

I shrugged. "Yeah, but I know you're thinking the same thing." I winked, grabbing the diaper bag as she buckled Little One into the car seat. "I need to get diapers and baby wipes. Don't let me forget."

"I have a list in my purse. I'll write it down. Anything else?"

I shook my head as I threw the bag over my shoulder and held my hand out for the car seat. "No, I think we're good."

. . . . .

Bella was a woman on a mission. I carried Little One in her car seat as Bella quickly lead us around the store, crossing things off her list as she grabbed them. We were only in the store for a half an hour before we went through the checkout line with a full cart.

"She's precious," the older woman said as she checked us out.

I grinned, switching the car seat to my other hand. "Thank you," I said.

"She looks so much like you. I can barely see Mommy in her features." She looked up to Bella, moving her eyes between us.

I found Bella to be beat red with wide eyes, unsure of what to say. "Yeah," I said.

"How old is she?"

"Almost six months."

She smiled and hit a few keys, bringing the total up on the screen. "They're so sweet at that age. Can't talk back," she laughed.

I chuckled, handing her my credit card as Bella elbowed me in the side. "What?" I asked.

She forced cash into my hand with a glare. "No."

I rolled my eyes and tucked the money into my pocket before signing the screen. I would just stuff it somewhere in her car to find later. Once the cart was filled with our bags, Bella pushed it in front of me out to the parking lot.

I couldn't help but asked, "Did she make you uncomfortable?"

"Huh? Oh, um . . . I didn't know what to say," she said as she unlocked the doors. I passed her the car seat and started putting the bags away.

"I think that's going to be a normal assumption," I said. "That you're her mother."

"I didn't want to overstep or anything."

"It doesn't bother me, if that's what you think. I mean, I _know_ you're not her mom, but you're the closest thing she has — even before we started dating."

She smiled and blushed before moving to the backdoor and putting Sofia in. "I didn't want to correct her," she said.

"I'm glad you didn't."

I closed the trunk and moved around to the passenger side as she finished buckling Sofia in. I took her moment of distraction to put the money in her center console, hoping she didn't notice. She got in the front seat and started the car, so I figured I was safe — for now, at least. When she found the money, I had a feeling she wouldn't be happy. But if you thought about it, most of those groceries fed me, too. It was only fair I paid.

"Do you need to go anywhere?" she asked. "Want to grab an early lunch?"

I smiled. "Sounds good to me."

. . . . .

We got back to my apartment around noon, just in time for Little One's nap, which she dearly needed. For some reason, though, she didn't want to go down. Bella took her from me and tried to work her magic, but Little One screamed in protest. She even pulled at Bella's hair.

"Shh, baby girl," Bella said, rocking her gently in her arms. She moved one hand and opened Sofia's mouth, running her finger along her bottom gums, like she had told me to do. "You're okay, just take a nap."

Bella continued to coo and rock Little One until she fell asleep. She was so damn good at that — a natural in every way. Once Sofia was sound asleep, Bella got up from the couch and put her in her crib. When Bella came back, she laid down in my arms on the couch.

"I think we should try to master the art of the quickie," I said as she about snorted. "No, seriously. Practice makes perfect, right? Let's practice." I smirked.

"You're horny," she laughed.

"Damn straight I am."

"I feel bad for you."

"Pity is good. Pity means I'll get some, yes?"

She lifted her head, kissing me. "Maybe," she said with a sly smile.

"Would you prefer to be romanced? I can romance you right out of those panties."

"Wow," she laughed. "That statement screams romance. Nice going, Dr. Cullen."

"I like when you call me that. It puts kinky thoughts in my head."

She turned bright red and ducked her head in my chest as she shook with laughter. I caressed her back, moving lower and lower until my hand was on her ass.

"You could be a naughty nurse . . . or patient. Your choice," I said.

"Please, stop," she said, her voice muffled by my t-shirt.

"Move my hand or stop talking?"

She lifted her head, capturing my lips for a moment. "Talking," she said. "Stop talking."

I nodded as she stroked my cheek — not my dick, sadly — and kissed me again, moving her body against mine, making me fucking hard. A few moments passed and the kiss went deeper, with more passion. I wanted her. I wanted to feel every inch of her again, like last night. I wanted her to cry my name over and over as I made her feel amazing. And as we broke the kiss and she looked me in the eyes, I knew she wanted it, too.

We moved into my bedroom, wordlessly. I stripped her, moving my lips down her bare chest, going lower and lower. I laid her down on the bed and moved down her body, slowing pulling her panties off before running the tip of my finger back up her leg, to her inner thigh. I parted her, moving my finger into her slowly, feeling that she was just perfectly wet for me. I kissed her thighs before spreading her legs. I ran my tongue over her clit as she gasped, grabbing my hair.

I looked up at her, silently asking for permission. She just nodded as I continued to pump my finger in and out, adding another. I moved my tongue against her clit again, circling it slowly, enjoying the way she tasted. So fucking good. My tongue moved down, joining my fingers as my other hand moved up her thigh, feeling the small goose bumps that _I_ was causing. Moans filled my ears, and I loved the sound. I loved knowing I was making her feel good.

I teased her clit again with my tongue, and her body shuddered beneath me. I heard my name, louder and louder as I kept going. She tightened around my fingers as she came, crying out.

"Oh . . . God," she sighed as I looked up at her.

I grinned and kissed her belly, moving back up her body. "You're gorgeous," I said, caressing her cheek.

She was flushed — her face, neck, and chest. The tint of red to her pale skin made it . . . stunning. Plain and simple. She moved onto her side after a few moments, laying her arm over my chest.

"Well, that was . . . new," she said.

I cocked my eyebrow. "New?"

"Yeah, new. But it was," she sighed, smiling, " _great_."

I kissed her forehead before she moved on top of me and reached over to the end table. She pulled the drawer open and grabbed a condom. She slid it on my hard dick, and then moved, bringing me into her. She moved slowly. It felt so fucking good. I watched her beautiful breasts move with her, bringing my hands up to them. She moaned and threw her head back. I flipped us over, picking up the pace. So. Damn. Close. Her legs wrapped around my waist, holding us close together.

I groaned, kissing her neck as I came. "I love you," I whispered.

And I did. I honest to God loved her.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: Feels Right**

The clock read two in the morning. I _should_ have been asleep, but I wasn't. Bella was lying next to me —sound asleep — and I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She had stayed over every night this past week, and I swear to god, we hadn't fucked every night, either. It was . . . weird, but a good weird, I guess.

Apparently, I liked to cuddle. Fucking cuddle. I liked holding her in my arms as she fell asleep. She was warm against me. The quiet sounds of her breathing were comforting, for some reason. It was all just . . . so fucking strange. I kept wondering who the hell I was when I thought these things.

"Why do I have this weird feeling that you're watching me?" Bella mumbled, opening her eyes.

I grinned sheepishly. "Because I am."

She buried her head deeper into my chest as her arm held me closer. "Can't sleep?"

I shrugged. "Just one of those nights, I guess."

My thumb softly caressed her back as she sighed. "It's not me, is it? I can go, if you want me to."

"No, I don't want you to. My mind is just working overtime or something. I can't believe Little One's tooth cut through today."

"She's growing up, but that's good. The quicker they come in, the less time she'll be in pain. Hopefully, the others will come in pretty soon."

"God, I hope so," I laughed. "I can't take much more screaming. She's been oddly silent tonight, you know? I should go . . . check on her."

She lifted her head and smiled. "Okay, hurry back."

I kissed her softly before she moved off of me, so I could get up. I left my room and walked the short distance across the hall. I pushed Little One's door open and tried to stay as silent as I could as I made my way across the room to her crib. With the dim moonlight shining in, I noticed her eyes were open, just moving around before landing on me. Her lips curled into a smile and she kicked her feet, bringing one up to her chest.

I reached down, picking her up. "It's like my damn Spidey senses were tingling," I chuckled, bringing her over to the changing table. I laid her down and undid the onesie and diaper, finding it wet. "So that's why you were up, huh?"

She babbled her usual nonsense as I changed her. It was like she was having a conversation with herself and her faces went along with it. Fucking cute. She lifted her feet, pulling them up to her chest again. I took her little foot in my hand, kissing her toes.

"So, rocking chair until you fall asleep?" I asked.

"Da ba," she babbled as I picked her up.

I smiled, sitting down with her. "You don't know how much I want to interpret that 'da' as 'daddy'. You should do it again, so I can pretend. Say, Da."

She just looked at me as I rocked. She smiled and reached for my face, pressing her hand to my jaw.

I sighed. "Fine, no more 'da'. So, even though I doubt you care, I'm up right now because I'm . . . I just have a lot on my mind. You're going to have to listen to me, okay? Help me make sense of this."

I held her a little higher on my chest, patting her bottom with my hand as we rocked. She seemed content, ready to listen — as ridiculous as that sounded. Who the hell needed a shrink when you had a kid to talk to?

"Anyway, we've been over the fact that I love Bella, but I'm new to this relationship thing. I'm sure you've noticed how much more she's here. I like that, but it just feels weird that I like it. What the hell do I know, though? I mean, I'm certainly not going to fu—mess this up again. I'm just trying to understand. She's here all the time, and I want her here all the time. Saying it out loud makes it seem simple, right?"

I imagined her nodding, even though she didn't do a damn thing.

"I'm glad we agree," I laughed. "So where do I go from here? I feel like I'm stalled. I tell her I love her because I do, and I show her — which you don't need to know anything about. What's next? I know her pretty well, though there are some things I'm still curious about. I guess we just keep getting to know each other. That seems logical. Maybe . . . maybe I need some Daddy-Bella alone time. It's not that I don't love you, because I do, but Grandma _has_ been asking to keep you again. Would you be cool with that?"

She yawned, blinking slowly.

"I'm taking that as a yes, just so you know. Okay, so I'll take her out. Maybe I could surprise her. She'd like that. Woman like that kind of stuff, I think."

"Women do," Bella said, standing in the door way, holding the baby monitor. She smiled, walking in.

"So my plan is already ruined before I even started planning," I chuckled.

"It's okay. I like dinner, but I can do without a surprise dinner."

"I can't believe I forgot about that damn monitor."

She laughed softly, leaning down and kissing Little One's head. "You know, when you talk to her . . . I can't explain how it makes me feel. It's just so sweet."

"She's like my own personal shrink that can't talk back. Well, not in actual words, at least."

"Oh, I know. We talk about you _all_ the time when I keep her during the day."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Huh, so you have my kid keeping secrets from me. That's nice."

She rolled her eyes, smirking as she came around and sat on the arm of the chair, running her hand over Little One's head — who, by the way, was basically passed out once again. "Well, she keeps my secrets, and I keep hers."

"Oh, really? Has she been talking shit?" I laughed under my breath.

"You should hear her babble. It's clearly anger directed at you."

"Do you have complaints, Little One? Tired of me trying to shove peas down your throat?" I whispered.

"She especially hates carrots," Bella said.

"I knew that. They wind up on me."

"So . . . what's this I hear about you wanting to know more about me?"

"You heard everything, didn't you?"

She nibbled on her lip, avoiding eye contact. "I _tried_ to turn it off, but then . . . I got nosy."

I smirked. "I'll have to be careful with that monitor for now on. Your birthday is coming up. Wouldn't want you to overhear Sofia and me planning."

"Shh, we're not discussing that. If we do, I have to acknowledge the fact I go back to work soon, and I don't want to. I'll miss my days when you let me keep Sofia."

"Okay, I'll shut up. And . . . I think it's time to put her back down. Do you want to?"

She smiled, nodding. "I'd love to."

I lifted Little One, kissing her forehead softly. "Sleep well, baby girl. I love you."

I gently passed her to Bella, who walked her over to the crib as I stood. She kissed my daughter's forehead, telling her that she loved her. I fucking loved hearing that. She loved my kid. She treated her like . . . like her own. I couldn't have asked for more from her.

"Night, sweet girl," she said, laying her down. I moved the stuffed animal closer to Little One before we walked out.

. . . . .

"My coffee is gone," I told Jasper, leaning on the counter in front of him. "And I want the good shit now."

He typed on the keyboard, lifting his eyes to meet mine. "I'm not your errand boy. Get your own damn coffee."

"Fuck you. What's up with the mood?"

He shook his head, leaning back. "Just a lot on my mind." He checked his watch. "I can take my lunch. Mind getting coffee and coming with me somewhere?"

I shrugged. "Sure. I have an hour to fuck around."

"Thanks, I need . . . your opinion on something," he said, standing and coming around the counter.

"We're going to a jewelry store, aren't we?" I asked, sighing.

"Yes, we are. I'll buy you coffee for your time," he laughed.

"Good, I deserve it."

Once we were both signed out, we took his truck to Starbucks. Besides the coffee, I made him buy me a chicken sandwich, too. He was going to make me look at rings. I earned the fucking sandwich.

"Hurry up," he said, glaring as I took my sweet ass time, eating the sandwich slowly.

"Good sandwich," I mumbled, crumbling the paper up. "Thanks. So, I'm looking at engagement rings, right?"

He nodded. "I just . . . need a second opinion. I have no fucking idea what I'm doing here."

"You need Bella, not me."

He shrugged. "Could you just tell me what you think? If you're no help, like I think you'll be, I'll ask her."

"Sure. Besides, it gets me out of the hospital."

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when we walked in the store. Jasper led me straight to the rings and a saleswoman asked us if we needed help. He picked a few out to her, and she set them on the counter for him. They were . . . nice, I guess. You know, engagement rings.

"I think she'd like a solitaire best," he said, handing it to me.

I nodded. "Cool."

"What do you think? Is it nice?"

"Um . . . I guess? It's kind of small, though."

I passed it back, and he looked at it. "It's, uh . . . what I can afford. And it's actually pushing that."

"Dude, do you need a loan?"

"No!" he said quickly. "That's not why I asked you here."

"I know, but do you? I mean, is there a bigger one you like more? I can help you, you know."

He shook his head, placing it back on the counter. "I don't need help. I like this one."

"How much do you need?"

To me, it was clear he didn't _really_ like that one. No offense, but it _was_ small and just . . . not good, I guess. I didn't mind helping him. Hell, after all he had done for me over the years, a little money was nothing. Jasper was, honestly, the best friend a guy could ask for. He had listened to me bitch and moan for the past twenty-something years. He was there for me when I found out I didn't get that fellowship. Fuck, he flew out to New York and we spent the weekend getting wasted. He was always there. Like, when we were kids. He kept me from doing stupid shit that Emmett wanted us to do. If loaning him money what was _he_ needed now, I'd give it to him. No questions asked.

"Why are you offering, man?" he asked. "I know you didn't really agree with this."

"I'm not even close to being ready for this shit, but . . . I get it. I get being in love, I guess. I get wanting to make the person you love happy. Hell, I'm trying to figure out how to do that for Bella. If you need money, you don't have to ask. I'm not being sappy, but . . . you're my best friend. You've helped me. Let me help you."

"Jesus Christ," he laughed dryly. "Having a kid has turned you into someone I don't recognize."

"I think I might be growing up." I smirked. "I know, it's fucking shocking."

He nodded. "It's weird."

"Just tell me how much you need. Don't turn into a chick on me."

"I'll pay you back."

"I expect coffee every morning. The good shit, too."

He laughed. "I think I can handle that."

"Good, now let's get the hell out of here."

"Thank you, Edward. Really."

"I said _don't_ turn into a chick."

. . . . .

Once we got back to the hospital, my day went pretty smoothly. But around six, I got a call from Emmett, telling me he had food poisoning — honestly, not a big surprise — so he needed me to cover his shift. I hadn't worked a double since I got Little One, so this pretty much sucked. Sure, Bella had kept her overnight before when I was on-call, but that was planned, for the most part. I didn't want her to feel obligated, but when I called and asked if she'd keep Sofia tonight, she didn't hesitate. She only asked when to come by and get my apartment key.

"Are you sure, Bella?" I asked once more as I handed her my key.

"Yes, Edward," she said again. "We'll be fine. I'll take care of her tonight."

"I mean, you've had her all day," I said. "If you're tired, I can call my mom."

She just rolled her eyes and smiled, bouncing Little One on her hip. "We'll be fine, won't we, sweet girl?"

I held my arms out for my daughter, and Bella passed her along. Instead of focusing on me, her attention went straight to the stethoscope hanging around my neck. She took the bell in her hands, putting it up to her mouth.

"No," I said, pulling it away. "You can't eat that."

Bella laughed, fixing the piece back around my neck. "Are you tired?" she asked as Little One went for the pen in my lab coat breast pocket. Again, I pushed her hands away. She was getting so damn grabby.

"I'm okay right now," I said, kissing Sofia's cheek. "I'll try to get some sleep in the on-call room later."

"Okay, so you're all right with me staying at your place tonight?"

I nodded, leaning down and kissing her softly. "Yes, Nibbles, it's fine."

She blushed lightly. "I didn't even bite my lip that time."

I chuckled. "So? You're _Nibbles._ My Nibbles."

That made her do it. I grinned triumphantly and kissed Little One's cheek once more. She was still trying to grab my stuff, even though I held her hands together.

"I love you, baby girl," I said, blowing a raspberry on her cheek, making her giggle and bounce in my arms. "Be good for Bella, okay? I'll see you in the morning."

I passed her back to Bella as she continued to grab for my stethoscope. She certainly didn't understand _no_ very well, even though I had been saying it more and more.

"Let's give Daddy a kiss," Bella said, putting Little One's hand to her mouth and touching my lips with it. Bella and I smiled as she continued to giggle. "Say, love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Little One."

Bella had been referring to me as 'Daddy' a lot when talking to Little One. I fucking loved it. The more she heard it, the better the chance she would say it. I had seriously been cutting down on the curse words around her, hoping _fuck_ wouldn't come out first.

"You'll be home a little after seven, right?" Bella asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'll get home as soon as I can. I'll see you tomorrow."

I moved my arm around her waist, pulling her close — squishing Sofia between us. Our lips and tongues moved together for a few moments before we parted.

"Love you," Bella said, smiling.

"I love you, too. Call me if there are any issues."

She nodded. "Of course. We'll call you later, if that's okay?"

"Yeah, let me know how she goes down. Thanks a lot, Bella. You really are amazing."

I kissed her once more — and Little One too — before they left. As I turned around to head back upstairs, I found Dad, standing with his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk _very_ apparent on his face.

"What?" I asked, walking past him. He followed beside me.

"Oh, nothing. I'm sure your mom will find this picture interesting, though." He held his phone up to me, showing me a picture taken just moments ago when I kissed Bella goodbye.

"I consider that an invasion of privacy," I said, hitting the elevator button.

"See, I find it . . . heartwarming," he chuckled, stepping in with me. "Your mother, though, will find it downright adorable."

"I find it strange you've taken a picture of me with my girlfriend."

"Well, I still find the whole thing strange. Good, but strange for you. I'm glad the two of you have worked things out. I'm happy for you, son." He patted me on the shoulder.

"Thanks. I'm . . . really happy, actually."

"That's good. So, I'm actually getting ready to head out, but I wanted to catch you first."

"What's up?"

"Your mother wants to do a family dinner. We need to pick a day you and Emmett both have the evening off. Will you come?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess. Why the dinner? Getting married again?" I laughed.

We stepped off the elevator on the surgical floor. "No reason, really. We just want to get the whole family together. And Mom hopes that'll include Bella."

"I'll ask her, but that's fine. I'm sure she'll say yes."

He smiled as we stood outside of his office door. "Thank you, Edward. She'll be thrilled."

We parted ways, and I headed to check on my latest patient with an odd feeling in my gut. Something was going on that he didn't tell me about. Something the whole family needed to find out at once. Sure, Mom liked family dinners, so I could have been wrong, but I had a feeling I wasn't. Either way, I'd find out during the dinner. If something were _really_ wrong, he'd tell me, right?

"How are you feeling, Cassie?" I asked my nine year old patient, who was recovering from an appendectomy as I flipped through her chart.

She shook her head, closing her eyes tightly and frowning. Shit, I knew that look. Tears quickly followed and soon she was full out sobbing. Fuck. I hit the nurse's button, so she could deal with this.

"You're all right," I said as her hand reached out and grabbed mine. "It's just from the anesthesia. You're confused."

I tried to pull my hand away, but she kept hold, still fucking crying. Of course a nurse hadn't come in yet. Damn it. "You're all right," I said again, lifting my other hand and patting her shoulder awkwardly. I _really_ wasn't good at comforting kids. Well, besides Little One, I guess. I tried to think what I'd do if this were her. "Do you, uh, need anything?"

"Mommy," she cried. "I want Mommy."

Yeah, I wanted her mommy, too. I hit the nurse's button again. Why the fuck hadn't someone responded yet? "I'll get her."

She cried harder as her other hand clutched her abdomen. "Hurts."

"You had surgery and the sobbing isn't helping the pain. You need to calm down."

"What's wrong, Dr. Cullen?" a nurse said, _finally_ coming in the room.

Thank God. "Get her mom."

"She had to run home."

I narrowed my eyes, lifting my hand, which the girl was holding onto for dear life. "I don't care. Go call her or something."

She hurried away, leaving me with the still sobbing child. I patted her shoulder again. "Shh," I said. "Your mom is coming. May I look at your stomach?"

She reluctantly let go of my hand, nodding and sniffling. "Yeah."

I did what I came in here to do, making sure everything still looked normal. I marked it in her chart before looking back up at her. "You're doing fine," I said. "Everything looks good, and so does your lab work. I'll check on you tomorrow."

"Wait." She grabbed my hand again. "Don't leave me?"

I sighed, peeking out the door to see if her mom was anywhere in sight. Not yet, of course. "I'll stay until your mom comes."

I pulled the chair behind me closer and sat down, keeping her hand in mine. "You're nine, right?" I knew she was — the chart said so — but what else would I talk to her about?

"Uh-huh," she said. "Almost ten."

"That's . . . neat. When?"

"In two weeks."

"Well, happy almost birthday."

"I can still have a party, right?"

"Um . . . sure."

Right now _probably_ wasn't a good time to mention she'd need a few weeks to recover before strenuous exercise. She had stopped crying, after all. I didn't want her to start again.

She smiled a little. "So, what are you getting?" I asked.

"I dunno. I asked for a lot, but Mommy said she'd pick. I _really_ want a puppy."

I laughed. "Well, I hope you get one."

"Me too." She yawned, and I pulled the blankets over her shoulders again.

"You should get some rest. It'll be good for your recovery."

"You won't leave, right?"

I smiled, getting comfortable. "I'll stay until your mom gets back."

And I did, even though I had shit to do. I felt . . . bad for her. Thankfully, she quickly dozed off again and her mom was back ten minutes after. The woman hugged me — like she had done earlier when I told her Cassie came through surgery well — and thanked me over and over for staying when I didn't have to.

Other than the awkwardness of trying to comfort a child, my evening went smoothly. Around eleven Bella called and I said goodnight to Little One — who Bella said kept looking at the phone strangely — and then we talked. I asked her about dinner, and she had no issues with going. She said she'd _love_ to go, and we talked about how it made her happy that my family accepted her. Of course they'd accepted her. I was pretty sure my mom liked her more than _me_.

After a few ER consults — which didn't require surgery — and making sure all the post-op patients were all right, I headed up to the on-call room to try and get some sleep. But the second I closed my eyes, my pager went off, alerting me to a trauma. I was in the OR the rest of the night, leaving me exhausted when I was done. It was just before seven when I started to leave, since another surgeon was already on duty.

"Hey, Dr. Cullen," Cupcake Nurse said, grinning as she stopped me in the hallway. Fuck, I just wanted to leave. I also realized I had forgotten her name again.

"Hey . . . I'm leaving."

"Oh, well, how's your daughter?"

"Good."

She smiled, biting her lip. My dick didn't even twitch. When Bella did that, it did. "So, have things settled down?"

She was going to ask me out again, wasn't she? Why the fuck hadn't I told her about Bella last time? It'd save me from this awkward conversation. "Look, I'm in a relationship."

That wiped the smile off of her face. "You are? You didn't . . . mention that last time."

"Yeah, I don't know why I didn't, but I am. And it's serious, so . . ."

"I'll leave you alone."

"I'm not trying to be an ass." I didn't know why I felt the need to say that, but I didn't want to . . . you know, hurt her. "It's just, I love her and I don't want to lead you on."

She nodded. "Yeah. I gotta go."

She turned away quickly, leaving me to finally get the hell out of this place. Thank-fucking-god. I rushed out to my car, completely exhausted.

When I got home, I checked on Little One — who was still asleep — and then walked across the hall to my room, finding Bella in my bed. I kicked my shoes off and climbed in next to her, wrapping my arms around her.

"Mmm," she mumbled. "Good morning."

She turned in my arms, and I kissed her softly. "Did you sleep well?" I asked.

"Yep. How was your night?"

"Exhausting. Was Little One okay?"

She nodded. "Not a peep, so I'm sure she'll be up soon." She moved her hand under my scrub top and around my back, holding me close. "You didn't change."

"I just wanted to get home. I've been in the OR since two with a major trauma."

"Will they be okay?" she asked with her brow furrowed in concern.

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. I hope so, but . . . I just don't know yet. Time will tell."

"Are you okay?"

I brought my hand up, caressing her cheek. I kissed her again, letting our lips stay together as long as I could. "I'm fine, Nibbles," I said, eliciting a shy smile from her. "Just tired."

Of course, that was when Little One started crying. I sighed, starting to sit up before Bella stopped me. "I'll get her," she said. "You sleep."

"You're a fucking angel, Bella."

She laughed softly, getting out of bed. "I think that's exhaustion talking."

. . . .

When I woke up a few hours later, Bella wasn't in my arms, but a certain little one was. She was sound asleep, curled into my side. It must have been nap time, and Bella put her in my bed with me. Couldn't say I minded it. I turned on my side, careful not to wake her. There was a pillow on her other side, so she wouldn't roll off the bed.

"Hi," I whispered, moving her hair off her forehead and kissing it softly. "I'm going to get up, but you just keep sleeping. Don't let me bother you," I chuckled.

I moved off the bed slowly and put another pillow on her other side after rolling her onto her back. She didn't wake. Hell, she didn't make a sound. Kid was out cold. I wondered what Bella had done with her to make her so tired. And I wondered if she could teach me.

I left my room, leaving the door wide open to hear Little One, since I didn't have the monitor. I found Bella on the floor in the living room with papers around her. She was writing something in a notebook.

"What are you doing?" I asked, sitting down on the couch behind her.

"Planning. School starts back up soon," she sighed.

"I'm sorry."

She turned her head, smiling. "Don't be. I love my job, but I'll miss my time with Sofia. Anyway, I'm kind of done for now."

"How long ago did you put Sofia down?"

"About an hour ago. Was that okay?" she asked, putting her stuff away in her bag.

I nodded, smiling. "It was fine. I liked it, actually."

She got off the floor, sitting down on the couch next to me. I put my arm around her, lowering my head to kiss her. She moved closer, throwing her leg over me and settling down on my lap.

"I take it you slept well?" she asked once we parted.

"Very. Thank you for taking care of her, Bella. You know how much I appreciate and love you, right?"

She blushed, smiling. "I do. And I love you, too."

I kissed her again. "And you know how beautiful you are, right?"

"You want me to bite my lip." She smirked.

I laughed softly, moving my lips to her neck, kissing her, sucking. "You know, I bet Little One will be down for a little while longer," I said, pulling back.

"She's in your bed, Edward."

I shrugged. "I don't care."

I moved my hand under her shirt, tracing up her back. She shivered, throwing her head back as I moved my lips back to her neck, relishing the feeling of having her in my arms, close to me. Who would have thought loving one woman and being content with her in my arms was where I would be today?

It just . . . felt right.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: For No Reason**

"What do you think, Little One?" I asked, dangling the charm bracelet I had bought for Bella in front of her.

She reached out, grabbing it as she smiled big. I had her sitting on the couch in front of me as I kneeled down. She had fucking mastered sitting up . . . mostly. Sure, she had a few wobbles, but for the most part she was doing amazing. I was a proud dad, let's just say.

"I'm letting you _see_ it, not taste it," I laughed, keeping her from putting it in her mouth. "Do you think she'll like it? I hope she does. Since we're going out later, I figured it be nice to surprise her with something. Well, besides the flowers that Grandma's bringing."

Which reminded me, where the hell was my mom? When I asked her to watch Sofia tonight, she said she'd come get her for me, so I didn't have to drive out there. She was supposed to be here five minutes ago, and I was supposed to be heading over to Bella's soon — with the flowers Mom promised to bring.

I wanted to make this date . . . special, I guess. I had made reservations at the nicest restaurant in town, and I was even wearing a tie — which was a bitch to get on, and I was pretty sure was crooked.

"I didn't really know what kind of charms to get her, so I figured the heart and apple would be good," I said, prying Little One's fingers off of the bracelet and putting it back in the box. "The heart because I love her and the apple because she's a teacher. Lame, I guess, but it works."

Sofia pouted as I set the box on the end table and picked her up because there was a knock on the door. I walked over, opening it to find Mom.

"I'm sorry I'm late," she said as I leaned down, hugging her. "Is my precious girl ready to go?"

"Yeah, I have her bag packed," I said, leading her into the apartment. I laid Little One down in the car seat and buckled her up.

"Here are your flowers. A dozen roses, just like you wanted."

"Thanks, Mom. Can you set them down on the end table for me?"

"Sure . . . Oh!" she gasped.

I looked over to find her picking up the bracelet box. "Open it," I said, lifting Sofia's car seat.

She was grinning as she lifted the lid. "This is beautiful, Edward. What's it for?"

I shrugged. "No reason, I guess. I just figured it'd be nice to do."

She closed it, laying it back down next to the flowers before taking a few steps to close the distance between us. She patted my cheek with a smirk. "I taught you well."

I chuckled, rolling my eyes. "So do you like it? Do you think _Bella_ will like it?"

"She's going to love it. Put it on her wrist, okay? Don't just give it to her."

"Got it." I nodded, passing her the car seat. I kneeled down, getting on Little One's level. "Be good for Grandma and Grandpa, all right? Don't eat anything that's not food."

Mom laughed. "We'll be careful."

"I love you, baby girl." I leaned in, kissing her cheek, making her giggle.

"Ma na!" she babbled.

"Sure, I ma na you, too," I laughed, kissing her again before standing up.

"Have fun on your date!" Mom said as I wrapped my arm around her.

"I will. Call me if you have any issues. I'll be by sometime before noon, okay?"

She nodded. "Sounds great, honey."

I picked Little One's bag up off the couch and Mom took it, putting it over her shoulder. I walked her to the door, asking if she needed help. She said she didn't, of course. Once she left, I put my jacket on and looked at myself in the mirror once more, running my hand through my hair. I grabbed the flowers and put the box in my jacket pocket before heading across the hall.

I lifted my hand, knocking once before the door opened, revealing a grinning, beautiful Bella. "Hey," I said, smiling and holding the flowers out.

She took them as I kissed her cheek, and then followed her into the apartment. "Thank you, Edward. These are beautiful."

"You're welcome. So, Mom has Little One and I said I'd grab her around noon tomorrow. We have the night to ourselves."

We walked into the kitchen, and she grabbed a vase from under the counter, filling it up with water. "Did Sofia go okay? She wasn't fussy, right?"

"No, I think she was happy to be away from me," I laughed. "I think my mom spoils her or something. Sofia was way too happy to leave with her."

"That's sweet." She smiled, arranging the flowers. "And really, Edward, you didn't have to bring me flowers, but I love them."

"Well, then I guess I shouldn't have brought this either," I said, pulling the box from my pocket.

Her eyes went wide, looking at it in my hands. "What is _that_?"

I smirked, moving around in front of her and opening the box. "It's a charm bracelet. I wanted to . . . get you something nice. May I have your wrist?"

"Edward," she sighed, holding out her left wrist as I pulled it free.

I laughed softly, clasping it. "Are you trying to tell me you like it, but just can't find the words?"

She lifted her hand, pressing it to my cheek. I noticed tears in her eyes as she smiled. "You shouldn't have, but I love it. Thank you so much."

I dipped my head, capturing her lips. I pulled her close, moving my hand to her neck, wrapping it around the back as my thumb caressed behind her ear. She rose up, meeting me and deepening the kiss. Our tongues moved together, slowly at first, but the kiss soon became more passionate. Our lips parted and I pressed my forehead to hers, smiling.

"So I did good?" I asked.

She laughed softly, pecking my lips. "You did very good," she said, wrapping her arms around my neck, hugging me.

. . . . .

With careful planning and help from my brother-in-law, Bella and I were seated at a secluded table near the back of the restaurant. It was dimly lit with a candle flickering between us, creating what I figured was a romantic dinner. It seemed like it at least, and Bella was enjoying herself, which was what meant most to me. I'd have to give Emmett props. If there was one thing he knew from being with my sister so long, it was how to make shit romantic. I didn't know where he learned it, but I didn't care. He set me up with the name and number of the owner of the restaurant and told me what to ask for.

"You outdid yourself," she said, smiling as she lifted her wine glass.

"I had help," I admitted. "I wanted to make this romantic, and since I'm certainly _not_ the most romantic man, I figured it was better to ask someone for help."

"I would have been happy with take-out and a movie, but this, Edward . . . you worked so hard and I love it. And the tie!" she laughed.

"Is it crooked? I fucking hate these things, you know."

"It's perfect. You look . . . sexy all dressed up." She blushed. "I feel honored that you fought a battle with a tie for me."

"You should. Took me forever to get it right," I chuckled. "Little One picked this one out, actually. I held two out in front of her, and she grabbed this one. Well, then she tried to grab the other, but I went with her first pick."

"Aww, you're making me miss her! I didn't get to see her today." She frowned.

"Did you get your classroom set up, though?"

She nodded. "I did, so I'm all ready for the kids next week. I'm happy to be going back to work, but I didn't expect the summer to pass so quickly."

"Time seems to be flying by, actually," I said, lifting my glass.

"I can't believe Sofia will be seven months old in two weeks! It doesn't seem possible. And the fact that . . ." She trailed off.

"What?"

"We've been dating for three months . . . on the first."

Shit, how hadn't I realized that? I mean, it wasn't like there was a three month anniversary I should know about, right? "I'm sorry."

Her eyes snapped back to mine as she furrowed her brow. "Why?"

"I didn't . . . I forgot."

She sighed, smiling and waving her hand. "I didn't say it because I expected you to remember. It's fine, really. I think you have more important things to worry about."

She wasn't pissed? Nice. "Either way, I'll remember. It's the first. That shouldn't be too hard."

Once our appetizer came and we ate, our conversation drifted back to her work. She told me about some of the things she had planned for the kids in her class, and I _listened_. I realized teaching kindergarten wasn't as simple as it sounded. A lot of planning went into everything. More than I could have imagined, actually. She had to keep up with multiple kids. Little One wore me out and she wasn't even seven months old yet, so I didn't know how Bella did it.

Our conversation continued once dinner came, moving on to other things, which were mostly unimportant. About halfway through our meal, I decided to bring up things I wanted to know about — things she hadn't told me about yet.

"Can I ask you a question about your past?" I asked, feeling nervous she'd say no.

She nodded. "I had a feeling you wanted to know something, so go ahead."

"Your . . . ex."

"His name was Jacob and he was my first and only boyfriend before you. I had known him for a long time."

"And he cheated? Which was why you left Seattle?"

"I haven't told you something that I probably should have," she said, moving her eyes to her plate and nibbling on her bottom lip.

"You don't talk to him, do you?"

She shook her head. "No, of course not. He wasn't, um . . . just a boyfriend. He was my fiancé."

I stared at her for a moment, unsure of what to say. "When was the wedding supposed to be?"

"Two weeks after I found him in _my_ bed with my maid of honor, Leah," she scoffed, pausing for a moment and shaking her head. I put my hand on the table, reaching for hers. She clasped her fingers around mine and made eye contact again. "I called off the wedding right away. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. There just wasn't a good time . . . and I'm ashamed."

"He sounds like a fucking asshole to do that to you. You don't . . . let me in much, you know? I guess that's why, huh? I mean, I know you, but I don't _know_ you, I guess."

"I'm sorry if I don't open up like I should."

"I guess I don't know how you should be opening up to me. I thought you had, but that's a big thing that you never told me. You were almost _married_."

"I was stupid. I thought what Jacob and I had was real, but it was convenience, I think. He was comfortable. He was _there_. I came home from school every few weekends and there he was, wanting to do something. It turned into a relationship, and I didn't even realize it. But then he got a job at a car dealership in Seattle, and we moved in together. We were together for years and when he asked me to marry him, it seemed like _that_ was how things went. So I agreed. I thought I was in love, but . . . he was my best friend, Edward. That's all he probably ever was, but we made it romantic because that's what seemed right."

"You loved him, though."

She nodded. "I did. He was a good guy, and I'm sure he still is."

"He was an asshole that cheated on you."

"He cheated because he was actually in love. He just didn't know what to do."

"You don't hate him . . . or your friend?"

She sighed. "I'm not sure anymore. Do I hate what they did to me? Of course. He could have told me the truth, but instead I walked in on them. But I don't know if I hate _them._ I've realized something because of you."

I cocked my eyebrow. "What's that?"

"You don't hate Kate, do you?"

"I . . . no. It was as much my fault as it was hers. Yeah, leaving her child in my apartment was shitty, but because she did that, I got Sofia. I can't hate someone who gave me my daughter."

"And I can't hate Jacob because I wouldn't be where I am today if he hadn't done that. I wouldn't have met you or Sofia. I wouldn't _really_ be in love."

"And you really love me? It's not just out of convenience? I mean, we _do_ just live across the hall from each other," I laughed.

"I love you. You try so hard to be a good man. I know it's because of Sofia but . . . I want to believe it's because of me, too."

"It's because of you, too. Bella, I _love_ you. That was such a foreign concept to me, you know? I want you to be happy, and I want to be the person who makes you happy."

I felt like . . . like I was opening up to Bella. Sure, I had thought these things, but telling her was different. It made it feel more real. It didn't seem as ridiculous when I was actually telling her.

"You make me happy, Edward. Just spending time with you makes me happy. When you get home from work and we end up on your couch, talking about what happened that day, it feels _good_. It's not complicated. It's easy, even though it's actually not. You have a child, which even though we don't talk about it, makes a relationship complicated."

"You know what my biggest fear is?" I asked, sighing. "I'm worried she'll be just old enough to remember you when you leave me because I'll fuck up something."

"And that's . . . that's my fear. I'm afraid you'll get tired of me and move on. I'll lose, not only you, but her, too."

"I don't want to have to worry about that."

"I don't either, but do we need to? Do you honestly believe that you could . . . find someone else? Do you believe that you could, someday, want someone else?"

I shook my head, smiling as I squeezed her hand. "Truthfully, no. I don't think I'll fuck up."

"I don't think you will either, so I think you need to stop worrying about that. You stop, and I'll stop. Sound good?"

"Sounds great. But Sofia does make things complicated, I guess. You know I trust your judgment with her, right?"

"I worry about that, too. I'm afraid to make any decisions about her because you might not have approved of it. For instance, you didn't give me enough diapers a few days ago. I took her with me to the store and realized I didn't check what kind you buy. I actually undid her onesie — in the middle of the aisle, mind you — and looked because I was afraid I'd buy the wrong kind."

I laughed loudly, and she looked at me funny. "I'm sorry," I said, trying to control myself. "Bella, it was a diaper. I really don't give a shit which brand she wears."

"What if the kind I bought gave her a rash or something? Would you have been mad at me?"

I shook my head. "No, because I could have made the same mistake. But if she had a rash, I'd have wanted you to call me. Not because I don't trust you to take care of it, but because I'd want to know."

"I would have called you."

"So we're on the same page? I trust your judgment, so don't be worried about me getting mad . . . Unless you don't tell me if she's sick because I might get upset about that."

"I would never keep that from you. Any accidents or illnesses will be reported immediately as I freak out."

"We can freak out together," I laughed. "I'm thinking of wrapping her in bubble wrap when she starts walking. Seem like a good idea?"

She laughed with me at the absurdness of it, and all heavy issues we had discussed seemed to melt away. I loved her. She loved me. She had been engaged. I had slept around. But all that shit was behind us. This was a serious relationship, and we acknowledged that by discussing things we probably should have already.

. . . . .

Once we had finished dinner, Bella and I walked along the pier for a little while. I held her hand as she rested her head against my arm. I looked down, finding her smiling. She looked so damn beautiful tonight. And the fact that she now wore my jacket? Fuck. Seeing her in my things felt . . . I liked it. A lot.

"It's so pretty out here, you know?" she asked, sighing contentedly.

"Yeah," I said, watching her, "it is."

"You aren't upset with me for basically lying to you?"

I shook my head. "No, Bella. I can . . . see why you didn't tell me. I mean, it definitely doesn't make me feel good, but I understand it. If I ever met that fucker, though, I'd beat the shit out of him for you."

She laughed softly. "I'm not sure you could, but I'll let you believe that."

"I'm tough."

"Sure you are, Edward. Sure you are."

"Does he work out or something?"

"He's . . . muscular. Don't worry about it, okay? I _believe_ you could take him."

"Well, I mean, now my ego is a little hurt. First you said I couldn't and now you're lying to make me feel better."

She stopped and moved in front of me, placing her hands on either side of my face. "You're _much_ better in bed. Does that help?"

I grinned. "I am pretty great."

She slapped me softly, smirking. "I think your ego is just fine."

I brought my hand up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. I leaned down, brushing my lips against hers. "I think we should go," I whispered.

She nodded silently as I took her hand again and we started walking back to my car. Like I said before, she looked so damn beautiful tonight. I wanted to take her home, strip her bare, and touch and taste every inch of her. Over and over. I wanted her to scream my name, beg for me, and come as I watched her. I fucking wanted her, and I couldn't seem to drive fast enough.

As soon as we got in my apartment and I closed the door, I pushed her against it, moving my lips over her neck. I hitched her leg around my waist, moving my hand up her thigh and around to her ass, giving it a squeeze as she giggled. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders, and I lifted her up, moving away from the door and to the bedroom.

I set her on her feet near the bed and moved behind her, lowering my mouth to her ear and whispering, "I want to _fuck_ you, beautiful."

She moaned as I moved her hair, kissing her shoulder. I pulled the zipper down slowly and once it was undone, I moved back in front of her, pushed the straps down her arms, and watched the dress fall from her body. She was so goddamn gorgeous.

She stepped out of the dress, kicking her shoes off. Her hands moved to the tie around my neck. She tugged it, and rose up, pressing our lips together. I lifted my hand, using my thumb to caress that spot behind her ear. She moaned, and I could feel her tugging on the tie, trying to get the knot undone, but she was distracted. I fucking loved distracting her.

"I do _love_ the tie," she said, pulling it free from my neck. She nibbled on her lip, just for me.

I smirked and quickly took off my shirt and pants before we moved onto the bed. I took my time with her, wanting to give her all the pleasure I could. Plus, her body was so gorgeous, and _I_ wanted to take pleasure in every inch of it.

As I pulled the panties from her legs and tossed them to the floor, I looked up at her. "I want to hear you tonight," I said, kissing her hip. "My name, your screams, your moans . . . don't silence anything."

She moaned, moving her hand through my hair, dragging her nails along my scalp. Fuck, that felt good. "I won't," she whispered. "I need you, Edward."

I nudged her legs apart and kissed my way down to her pussy, parting her and moving my fingers into her. She was so fucking warm, and I loved how she felt around them. I moved my lips to her clit, kissing her before circling my tongue over it. Her moans grew louder as I picked up my pace.

"Do you like that?" I asked, moving my fingers in her, finding _that_ spot. I knew I had when she screamed my name. "Yeah, you like my fingers fucking you, don't you?"

"Ed-Edward," she moaned, tightening her grip on my hair. "God, _yes_."

I kept going, hitting that spot as my tongue went back to her clit. I nipped, sucked, and kissed her. My dick was so damn hard. I wanted in her, but I wanted to watch _this_ more. I could feel her tightening around my fingers, so I pulled my head back, looking up at her as my fingers continued to fuck her. She was close. I could see it — feel it.

"You feel so good, beautiful," I said. "Your warm, soft pussy around my fingers. Come for me."

I used my thumb, circling her clit as I pressed my fingers against her again, pulling them out slowly, adding just enough pressure as I moved back in. That was all she needed. She _screamed_ my name and dug her fingers into my shoulder. I brought her down slowly as I watched her, as I felt her tremble. She was gorgeous, panting softly. After a few moments, her eyes opened, meeting mine. I smiled and kissed her hip again.

"Jesus Christ, Edward," she sighed as I pulled away from her, going to lie beside her.

I laughed softly, kissing her. "I'm taking that as a compliment."

Her cheeks and even down to her chest were flushed as she panted some, still coming down. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

She rested for a few minutes before she rolled over to the end table and grabbed a condom. She rolled it onto me, and then climbed over me. She lowered herself onto me slowly, humming as she did. I sat up and pulled her nipple into my mouth, sucking it as she rode my dick. I held her close to me, wanting her in my arms.

"So _fucking_ good, Bella," I grunted as she picked up speed, moving her body over mine.

She dragged her fingers across my back, moaning my name. I couldn't get enough of her, so I moved my lips up her chest, her neck, and to hers, kissing her with all I had.

There was no fucking way I could ever want anyone except Bella.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: Father Knows Best**

"Come on, Little One," I said, sitting beside her on the floor. "I know you can at least scoot."

"She doesn't know what you're asking her to do," Bella said, coming to sit beside me. She placed her hand on my back, rubbing softly. "You can't force her to crawl, Edward."

"I'm not forcing her," I defended. "I just . . . she can do it. I know she can."

She smiled, laughing a little. "She's seven months old. That's all."

"The book said—"

She put her finger to my lips, silencing me. "I recall reading between seven and ten months. You have that seven in your head, and she might not be ready. Give her time."

I sighed, nodding reluctantly. "Fine," I told her. "Okay, Little One, no more pressure. Daddy's going to let you do whatever the hell you want."

Bella picked her up, sitting Little One in her lap. "Daddy's anxious, isn't he, sweet girl? He's afraid you're going to crawl when he isn't home."

I cocked my head, questioningly. "How do you know that?"

She smiled, shrugging. "I like to think I know you. Stop worrying about it, okay? She's not only going to crawl once. Even if you're not home the first time, she'll keep doing it when you are."

"Yeah, all right. I just want to see it, you know? You can't blame Daddy for wanting that, can you, baby girl?" I asked, tickling Sofia's belly. She giggled, giving me that little grin. Her two bottom teeth were easily visible, making her look . . . just so fucking cute. "We better get going to Grandma and Grandpa's. They're hiding something, and I want to know."

Bella stood with Little One as I grabbed the car seat and diaper bag. We buckled her in, and then headed downstairs to my car. Well, Mom's car. I seriously needed to buy my own, but I didn't want to give Tanya up. I probably would never want to, so I'd be stuck driving Mom's SUV for a while longer. Thankfully, Mom didn't seem to care.

As we drove to my parent's house, Bella said, "You know, I'm kind of nervous. I mean, I shouldn't be, right? Your parents like me."

"Bella, you brought pie," I laughed. "You'll be fine. And they do like you. A lot, actually. Dad _wanted_ you to come."

"I know, but I can't help but wonder why."

I nodded. "Me too. Something is going on. I just _know_ it, but I can't figure out what."

It had taken a few weeks for mine and Emmett's schedule to match up, so I figured if something really serious we're going on, they wouldn't keep it for this long. Well, I hoped so, at least. I couldn't shake the feeling in my gut that something was up. It was just how Dad acted when he asked me to come. Sure, we had family dinners before and nothing was going on, so maybe I was wrong.

. . . . .

"Oh, she looks so cute!" Mom said, taking Little One from Bella as soon as we stepped into the house. "Bella put this bow on you, didn't she? Because we all know Daddy does it crooked."

"Hey!" I said. "I'm getting better."

She and Bella just laughing, knowing I really wasn't. Poor Little One and her crooked bows. We walked into the kitchen where Rosalie was. Dad, Emmett, and Ben must have been in the living room, watching some game.

"Can I put this pie in your fridge?" Bella asked, holding it. "It's Chocolate Mousse."

Mom grinned, going to stir something on the stove as she held Little One. "Of course, dear! I bet it's delicious."

"It is," I laughed, patting my stomach. "She made an extra last night for me."

"Oh, so she's spoiling you?" Rosalie asked. "Well, I hope she manages to get you fat."

"Bitch."

She laughed, punching my arm. "I was kidding. Besides, your skinny ass _can't_ gain weight, which is why I hate you."

"Hey, you two," Mom said. "Impressionable little girl in my arms."

I looked at Bella, finding her smiling. She looked beautiful tonight, as usual. "Do you need any help, Esme?" she asked.

"Actually, dinner is about done," Mom said. "If you'd like, you can help Rosalie set the table."

"Of course."

"I need my kid," I said, holding my hands out. "It's bottle time."

Mom kissed Little One's cheek, and then passed her over to me. Bella grabbed the pre-made bottle from the diaper bag and ran it under warm water for me. Once it was done, I brought Little One into the living room with Dad and Emmett.

"Dinner's about ready," I said, sitting down and getting Sofia situated. "How's it going?"

"Seahawks are losing . . . badly," Emmett sighed.

Dad smirked. "To be fair, I told you they would."

Emmett rolled his eyes, taking a drink of his beer. "Whatever."

"So, how's my precious granddaughter?" Dad asked, looking at Little One in my arms. "Any more teeth?"

I shook my head. "Just the two still. She hasn't crawled yet, either."

"Ben didn't crawl," Emmett said. "Just did this weird ass scoot thing. Was kinda hilarious, though."

I laughed, remembering that. "Well, she's going to crawl, and she's going to wait until I'm home to do it."

"Keep telling yourself that, son," Dad said. "I missed you and Rosalie crawling, along with first words."

"I missed Ben's first words, too," Emmett said.

I frowned, looking down at Little One who drank happily in my arms. "You'll be grounded if you do that," I said.

Once Little One finished her bottle and was burped, everyone met in the dining room for Mom's _amazing_ roast. As usual, conversation flowed easily. Dad, Emmett, and I talked about work, as Mom told Bella to get used to it. Everything seemed fine. I'd even say great, actually. I couldn't help but still wonder what the fuck was going on and why we were having this dinner. For a moment, I began to believe I was wrong — that there was nothing going on — but then Dad cleared his throat, pulling our attention to him.

He took Mom's hand over the table and smiled. "We're so glad that you all could come tonight. Sometimes, it's just nice to have the whole family in one place. Dinner was lovely, sweetheart," he told Mom.

"Thank you," she said, smiling.

"Well, I actually do have something to tell you all."

"Is something wrong, Dad?" Rosalie asked, adjusting Ben in her lap as she fed him.

He shook his head. "Not at all. I hope you all actually find this to be good news, like your mother and I do. Later next year, I'll be stepping down as Chief of Surgery."

I let his words sink in, shocked at them. I . . . I couldn't believe what he had just said. He wasn't supposed to be retiring yet. That wasn't the plan, not even close, actually. Dad was still speaking, but I had tuned it out. "What?" I asked, interrupting him.

"I'm retiring, son," he said.

I shook my head, finding myself angry. "No. No, you said—"

He lifted his hand, stopping me. "I know what we discussed, Edward, but plans change."

"Are you _kidding_ me?" I laughed dryly. "I can't take over for you yet. I don't have enough experience."

"No, you can't. But if you'll let me explain—"

I stood up, tossing my napkin on the table. "This is _bullshit._ You promised!"

"Edward!" Mom scolded, narrowing her eyes at me.

I pushed my chair back and left the room, heading out back to the patio. I was pissed. When I took my job here, he promised that once he retired, I'd take over for him. That wasn't supposed to be for five or six more years, at the least. If he retired now, I wouldn't get the job. Fuck, _Emmett_ would probably get it, which was complete bullshit.

I paced the patio for a good five minutes before the door opened. I turned my head, finding Dad coming out. I ran my hand through my hair, looking back out toward the forest as I tried to contain my anger.

"You lied to me," I said.

"Plans change, Edward, and you acting like a spoiled brat won't help anything."

I looked back at him, narrowing my eyes. "I'm your son! It should be _my_ job."

"It's not your right, son. Now, sit down and let's talk like adults, all right?" He sat down in one of the patio chairs and motioned for me to join him. I leaned back against the railing for a moment, and then sighed, coming to sit next to him.

"Why?" I asked. "Who gets the job? Emmett?"

"I'm not sure yet. I won't lie to you — he's my choice — but it's the board's decision. Edward, it's time for me to step down. I've worked hard my entire life. I didn't have anything given to me, like you did."

I scoffed. "I didn't ask for this job here."

"You're right, but I gave it to you. You are an exceptional surgeon, which _is_ why, but you're my son. That certainly didn't hurt you. My point is that I've worked hard. I'll be sixty next year, and I want to enjoy my life. I . . . went to the doctor a few weeks ago."

I straightened up in the seat, creasing my brow. "Dad, are you okay?"

He nodded, waving me off. "I'll be fine. I had been having chest pains, and you know how your mother is. Anyway, my blood pressure is through the roof, but I'm taking medication and working to reduce my stress. My job is stressful, Edward. You can't even begin to understand that. I'm always at work, and when I'm not, I'm bringing work home with me. I'm ready to slow down. Financially, I can. I need to, son. I want to be there to see my grandchildren grow up, and if I keep going like I am, I won't. I want to be able to devote time to your mother, which she deserves."

"What medication did he put you on? How's your cholesterol?"

"Edward, I'm fine. Don't worry about that. I didn't plan for this, okay? I fully believed I'd be working for at least another five years when I told you what I did. I didn't lie to you. I'm sorry if you feel I did, but at this point in my life, I need to think about _me_. Do you understand that?"

I ran my hands over my face, sighing. "I want that job, Dad."

"You can't have it," he said simply. "Someday, I know you'll make an excellent chief, but you're not ready."

"And Emmett is? Because, honestly, I _really_ don't agree with that."

He shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I have a year to show him the ropes. I'm going to start handing certain responsibilities to him, so that it'll take some stress off of me. If by the time I retire the board doesn't believe he's up for the job, they'll probably bring someone new in. I'm not doing this to hurt you."

I nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, I know."

"You're an exceptional surgeon, and I believe that if you wanted, you could get a job wherever you'd like. I hope you stay here, though. This community needs you, and this family needs you."

"I'm not going anywhere, at least right now. I have Sofia to worry about and . . . I can't do that to Bella. I love her, and I'm not leaving her."

He smiled. "Look at you, son! Since you moved here, you've grown up. You've become a father, a boyfriend, a _man._ I'm so proud of you. Honestly, I wanted to hand this job to you someday. It was a dream of mine, but things change. I hope you can understand why I'm doing this."

"I do, Dad. I don't like it, but I do. You're not going to keel over on me, are you? Because that would seriously fucking suck." I smirked.

He laughed, shaking his head. "No, I'm not going anywhere. And knowing me, stepping down as chief won't keep me from working in some form. I just need to take a step back and slow down."

"Good. I'm . . . sorry for acting like a child."

"I believe I said spoiled brat, but that works, too. Now, you need to go apologize to your mother for what you did at the dinner table. I believe we have pie to eat, yes?"

I stood up with him, nodding. "And it's delicious."

He patted my back. "I bet. Thank you for understanding."

After I apologized to Mom, I went with Bella into the kitchen to get the pie and plates out. I could just tell she was pissed at me, which I understood. I hadn't acted so childish in a long time, and I did regret it.

"I'm sorry," I said, moving behind her. "How I acted was wrong, and I hope maybe we can talk about it later?"

She turned in my arms and nodded. "Yeah, of course. Are you okay?"

"I am, just a little bummed, I guess. I wanted to be chief someday, but that's probably not going to happen now, especially if Emmett gets the job."

"Well, if it helps at all, I'm sure you would have been amazing." She smiled. "I love you."

I leaned down, pressing my lips to hers as I caressed behind her ear. "I love you, too," I said as we parted.

. . . . .

Once we got home, Bella came with into my apartment — where she had basically been living for the past few weeks. Little One passed out in the car, so I put her down in her crib and went into the living room with Bella. She had tossed her shoes to the floor and had her legs folded under her as she smiled up at me. I sat down beside her, and pulled her into my arms.

"So, that was an interesting dinner," she said.

I laughed softly. "Very, and I certainly didn't see that coming. I am sorry for blowing up like I did and just leaving you in there."

"That was kind of bad. You reminded me of one of my students." She smirked.

"My dad called me a spoiled brat, if you can believe that."

"Oh, I can because you acted like one."

"Ouch," I laughed.

"Are you okay, Edward?" she asked as her eyes held a sympathetic look. "I know it upset you."

I nodded. "It pissed me off, but after talking to him, I understand where my dad is coming from. Did you know that throughout medical school he held a job because my grandparents were still pissed at them for eloping? He had to support himself and my mother, even while working his ass off in school. He's worked hard his entire life, so he deserves to retire early. It's not what I want, but I get it."

"You could always . . . get another job, couldn't you?"

"I could, but I don't want to. If in a few years a better opportunity presents itself, I'll think about it. But right now, I'm where I want to be. He's right, you know. I'm not ready for that job. I still don't think Emmett is either, but he's a better choice than me, I guess," I sighed.

"If in a few years you _want_ a different job, I'll follow you."

I cocked my head, surprised at her words. "What?"

"Well, we're still just starting, but I love you and I want you to be happy. We shouldn't even talk about it yet, but I felt like I needed to say that. Let's drop it, okay?"

I smiled, kissing her neck. "You think you'll want to be with me forever?"

She blushed, nibbling on her lip. "I don't know. Maybe."

I moved my lips to hers, pulling her bottom lip free and kissing her. "I think I want to be with you forever, too."

. . . . .

The next morning, I put Little One on the floor after giving her baby food. As she played, I drank my coffee and watched the news, finding it boring as hell. Bella had to work, but I had the day off so I kept Sofia with me instead of taking her to daycare. When I looked down at her, I about chocked on my coffee.

I watched as she gathered her knees under her and _crawled._ It was honest to god crawling, even though it didn't quite look right. Still, she was moving, thrusting herself forward along the floor.

"Holy shit," I said, setting my mug down and getting on the floor next to her. Suddenly, she stopped and laid down on her belly. "No, no, I _saw_ you, Little One. Don't be all shy now! I need my phone."

I hurried off the floor and grabbed it from the end table, pulling up my video camera. "Come on, baby girl. Bella will want to see this. Just crawl a little more."

Yeah, I was begging, but my kid just fucking crawled! I laughed, continuing to try and coerce her into doing it again. I took one of her toys and put it out in front of her, hoping she'd go for it. She did. I even got it on camera. Fuck yes, my kid crawled. Screw that book saying seven to ten months. Little One did it at seven, just like I knew she would.

"That's my girl," I said, picking her up off of the floor. "I knew you could do it."

I kissed her cheek over and over, making her giggle. I texted the video to Bella, Mom, and Dad, because seriously, Little One just fucking crawled. Everyone needed to know this shit.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: Forks**

I was a fucking moron. Plain and simple. Why the hell did I actually _want_ Little One to start crawling? In the short time she had been mobile, I lost her for a good minute under the kitchen table and she about bumped her head into the coffee table. Obviously, I now kept her away from tables and paid even closer attention. The kid was going to be the death of me.

Since she was now crawling — and since walking wouldn't be far behind — Bella and I spent a Sunday baby-proofing my entire apartment. I couldn't even remember half of the shit we did to it. The cabinets had locks on them, the furniture was secured to the walls, tables had edge guards, electrical sockets had covers, and fuck, even my toilet had a trick to get it open. At three o'clock in the morning, the damn thing was near impossible to open. But at least now Little One was safe, which was all that mattered.

Other than crawling, Little One was learning new tricks every day. Hell, she had even started clapping. It was so fucking cute. She'd grin and giggle, clapping her hands together when we played at night. My favorite game was hiding something from her under a blanket. The kid _knew_ and would push the blanket off, grabbing the toy. She had this victorious laugh, which was the funniest thing in the world.

"Oh, look who's home!" Bella said as I came into the apartment and closed the door behind me.

I looked down at the floor and found Little One crawling toward me. She smiled and babbled something that I wanted to interpret as words as I laid my bag down and picked her up. I kissed her cheek a few times, causing her usual giggle.

"Hey, Little One," I said. "Did you miss me?"

She stuck her fingers in my mouth, and I nibbled on them before she pulled away. I sat down on the floor next to Bella and put Sofia back down, so she was sitting across from me. Of course she didn't stay like that, though. She crawled over to a few toys and played, banging on the thing to try and get it to pop up.

I leaned over, kissing Bella as I moved my hand to the back of her head, caressing that spot behind her ear. "What about you?" I asked, smirking. "Did you miss me?"

She pressed her lips to mine again, and then said, "Of course I did. How was work?"

I shrugged. "Normal, I guess. Emmett rescheduled another one of my surgeries again without telling me first. You know, if he's going to be chief, he needs to fucking communicate. It's kind of shitty when I have to explain to my patient why he's not going to the OR for another few hours."

She frowned, moving her hand to my neck and rubbing it. "I'm sorry. He's learning, though. Maybe you should talk to him."

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess. So, how was your day? Anything interesting?"

"No, not really." She smiled. "My kids are pretty good for the most part. I do have something to talk to you about, though. How about after dinner? I made chicken enchiladas."

"Sounds amazing," I said, patting my stomach. "I'll grab the kid."

She laughed as I stood up and held my hand out for her, helping her up. I picked Little One up off of the floor and brought her to her high chair before getting my plate and her puréed shit. Tonight was chicken and gravy, which looked as disgusting as it sounded. As Bella and I ate, I fed Little One her goop, which she seemed to enjoy. Why? I had no clue.

After dinner, I bathed and changed Sofia into pajamas and put her in her swing for her to wind down some. It was our usual nightly routine, which worked wonders. If we deviated from it, she'd be cranky and wouldn't sleep.

"So, what's up?" I asked, sitting down on the couch and putting my arm around Bella.

She bit her lip, taking a few seconds before responding. She was clearly nervous, which made me nervous. "I know your family pretty well, right? I talk to your mom and sister all the time."

I nodded, confused. "Yeah, and?"

"I talked to my dad today . . . about seeing him again, and he mentioned you. He um, wants to meet you because, apparently, we sound serious."

Uh, shit? I knew this would be coming up eventually, but meeting Bella's dad kind of scared the shit out of me. I never met parents before, obviously. Plus, the dude was a police chief . . . with a gun, and I was, well, me. "Okay, so do you know when?" Please, let it be Thanksgiving or some shit. I needed time to prepare.

"Well, you have next weekend off, right?" she asked, looking hopeful. "I was hoping we could go for my birthday."

Fuck, not only did this mean I had to face the man soon, but I also couldn't spend Bella's birthday in my bed like planned. Great. "Yes, but . . . what if he doesn't like me, and then your birthday is ruined?"

She kissed my cheek, laughing. "Aww, you're nervous!"

"No, no, I'm scared shitless. You haven't told him about, you know, how I was, have you?"

She looked away, biting her lip again.

I sighed and ran my hand over my face. "Well, he doesn't keep a gun in the house, does he?"

"Of course he does. He's a cop, Edward. Look, I _may_ have told him some things, but I've told him how you are now, too. And when I told him that stuff, it was before I knew you . . . and when I was mad at you." She sighed. "This is sounding bad, isn't it?"

I nodded. "Kinda, yeah. So he already hates me, doesn't he?"

"No, of course not. It's just a few days. We'll drive down Friday night and leave Sunday evening. I swear he won't shoot you."

I cocked an eyebrow. "If Sofia met someone like me, and I had a gun, I'd shoot him."

She laughed softly. "It'll be fine, okay? I've told him about you _now_ , which is all that matters. You have to meet my dad sometime, Edward. Can we please go? I miss him."

Swear to God, she batted her eyelashes. She just looked so damn hopeful, so I couldn't have said no. Besides, if we brought Little One, chances were good he wouldn't kill me. "All right, we'll go, but Sofia has to come. We're not leaving her with my mom. I might need her in case your dad gets any ideas."

She laughed, hugging me tightly. "Thank you, Edward. And I'm sure he'll be even less inclined to kill you in front of your daughter."

. . . . .

When Friday rolled around, I seriously fucking considered asking Emmett if I could take his shifts for the weekend, but Bella was so excited and there was no way in hell I'd miss her birthday tomorrow. I didn't know much about her relationship with her father, but I knew they were close since he was all she ever had. I worried about how he'd react to me, especially considering how her first and only relationship ended. Fuck, would he take that out on me? I could understand it, I guess. He wouldn't want her to be hurt again.

"So, your dad's not working this weekend?" I asked, driving down the 101 toward Forks.

"Nope." She smiled. "Oh, and he asked if you'd want to go fishing with him on Sunday. You know, just some time alone. I swear he won't try to drowned you or anything."

I looked over, cocking an eyebrow. "How sure are you about that exactly?"

She just laughed, shaking her head. I didn't find the humor. "If you don't want to go, that's fine. You can use Sofia as an excuse. By the way, she's still passed out."

I looked in the rear view mirror and smiled. "Car rides, I guess. And yeah, I need to stay with her, you know? I don't want you to have to take care of her, and your dad think I'm taking advantage of you or anything."

"Oh, he knows I love her, but I'll let you use that excuse."

The GPS told me to take a left on Calawah Way, and I felt a lump in my throat. We were almost there and panic flooded through me like never before. "Is there anything I should know?"

"Like what?" she asked.

"Um . . . is he okay with you . . . dating? You know, since what happened with Jacob?"

"Oh, don't bring up Jacob. That's a sore spot for him. But he understands I'm going to date, Edward. He knows I'm a big girl."

I nodded. "All right, no Jacob talk." I turned down another road and looked for the house.

"Right there," Bella said, pointing to the house with a cop car in the driveway.

Yeah, dead giveaway. I pulled in beside the car and shut off the engine, taking a deep breath. "I've never met someone's parents before, Bella. If it starts to look like I'm going to fuck up, stop me, please? I'd rather not embarrass myself."

She put her hand over mine and smiled. "You'll be fine, but I'll try to keep you from embarrassing yourself. I think my dad's going to like you."

I scoffed. "Sure, Bella. I'm guarding myself with Little One, though."

We got out of the SUV, and I pulled a still sleeping Little One out in her car seat and threw her bag over my shoulder. From the smell of it, a diaper change was going to be needed as soon as possible. We left our bags in the car for now, and I followed Bella up the few porch steps of the small, two-story house. Before she could open the screen door, the front door opened, revealing her father.

He was average height with dark hair and a . . . a fucking pornstache. I swear to God, I had to keep myself from smirking. He was wearing a flannel shirt, which just added to it.

 _He's a cop_ , I reminded myself. _And Bella's father. Don't laugh. You can laugh with Jasper and Emmett on Monday._

"Bells," he said, pushing open the screen door and inviting us in. He quickly pulled her into a hug and told her he missed her.

Bells, huh? I wondered if she'd kill me for using that.

"Hey, Daddy," Bella said, smiling and taking a step back to me. "This is Edward. Edward, this is my dad, Charlie."

He nodded, looking down at the car seat in my hand. "It's nice to meet you, Edward," he said, holding his hand out.

I shook it, and he squeezed my hand a little harder than what I thought was necessary. "You too, Sir."

"So, Bells, I'm guessing that's the little girl you're in love with?" He pointed.

Bella nodded and moved behind me. I laid the car seat down, and she picked Little One up, causing her to fuss some. Once she realized it was Bella, though, she laid her head on Bella's shoulder and yawned.

"This little stinker is Sofia," she said. "And we should probably take care of that." She laughed.

"I caught a whiff of it when I got her out," I said. "Why don't I change her while you and your dad catch up? I'll grab the bags in a few minutes."

She nodded, passing Little One over. Of course it was then she started crying. Great. Bella told me to go upstairs to her old room, which was the only door on the left, so I grabbed the bag and carried Sofia up. I looked around the room a little, finding it pretty bare except for the usual furniture. The walls were green and there was a large window facing the woods. I laid Little One down on the unmade bed and pulled a blanket from her bag to change her on. She was still crying, so I rubbed her belly softly.

"I'm getting to it, Little One," I said, pulling her pants off and undoing her diaper. "I need you to be good this weekend, all right? You have to keep the crying to a minimum at night because I don't want Charlie to not be able to sleep."

I cleaned her up and put the dirty diaper in a plastic bag before putting a new diaper and her pants back on. She was calming down and sucking on her hand, so I pulled it out and popped her pacifier in. I picked her up and swayed, soothing her more as she put her hands in my hair and tugged.

"That's a good girl," I said, kissing her cheek. "So, did the guy with the pornstache scare you, too? Because Daddy's pretty freaked out right now. That's Bella's daddy, and I'm afraid he doesn't like me. She told him how I was before I had you, which is pretty much every father's worst nightmare," I sighed.

She spit her pacifier out, but thankfully, I remembered to clip it to her shirt. "Ba da," she babbled.

Why did that kind of sound like bad daddy? Okay, maybe I was reading too much into it. "Let's go downstairs and _get to know_ Pornstache. Shit, I really hope that doesn't slip out," I laughed.

. . . . .

After passing Little One off to Bella, I grabbed the bags from the car, and then went back downstairs to the living room. Charlie was sitting in a recliner, bouncing Sofia on his lap as he smiled and Bella told him things about her. Obviously, bringing Little One was the best idea in the world. How could someone not love her?

"She a cutie, Edward," Charlie said as Sofia reached up and tugged on his mustache.

 _Fuck_. "I'm so sorry," I said.

He pulled her hand away and laughed. "Don't worry about it. All the ladies love the stache."

"Dad!" Bella said.

"Kidding, Bells. Do you want her back, Edward?"

"She needs a bottle soon," I said, looking at my watch. "Do you want to give it to her?"

"Oh, no." He shook his head. "This is about as much as I can do with babies."

"I'll go make her a bottle," Bella said, standing up from the couch.

Suddenly, I was alone with her father, and I didn't know what the fuck to say. He continued to talk to Little One, making her giggle as I sat there awkwardly.

After a little while of silence, I said, "Thank you for inviting us for the weekend."

Yeah, that was a good way to start it, right?

"You're welcome," he said. "Bells talks about you a lot, so I figured it was time. She tells me you're a surgeon, right?"

I nodded. "A general surgeon."

"I have no clue what that means, son."

"Oh, um, my focus is mostly on the abdominal organs."

"Ah, so no brain surgery, I take it?" he laughed.

"Not since residency. I actually followed in my father's footsteps."

"Good. I'm sure he's proud."

And then there was more awkward silence between the two of us. Bella seemed to be taking her sweet time with that bottle.

"So, you're Bells' next door neighbor," he said. "She saved your ass with this one, right?"

I chuckled lowly, rubbing the back of my neck. "Uh, yeah, she did. I don't know what I'd do without her."

"She's a great girl, though I'm pretty sure I didn't have a thing to do with that. You love her?"

Cutting right to the chase, huh? "I do, sir. She's kind, smart, funny, and just amazing. I'm not sure how I got lucky enough for her to even talk to me."

"Me neither," he said, bouncing Little One. "You're just the happiest baby in the world, aren't you?"

Well then, that solved that. He didn't think I should have been with Bella, and I couldn't blame him. That did fucking, you know, hurt, though. Would he hate me forever? If he told Bella he didn't like me, would she break up with me? Shit. I knew coming here was a bad idea.

"She tells me you're a great dad, though," he said, looking up at me. "That's important. You changed your life for this little one and took responsibility. You know, that says a lot about a man, and I can relate."

I blinked, confused at what the fuck he was getting at. So . . . he didn't hate me? "I love my daughter with all my heart, and I couldn't imagine my life without her now . . . Or without Bella. I know you know about my past, but I swear I'm not that guy anymore."

He nodded. "I believe in second chances, but if you hurt my daughter . . . well, you'll pay for it." He smiled, and I swear to God his pornstache twitched. I _may_ have gulped.

"Here we go!" Bella said, coming in with the bottle. "Can I have her, Dad?"

"Sure thing, Bells," he said, lifting Little One for her to take.

Bella settled back down next to me and laid Little One in her arms for the bottle. I found Charlie watching her with a smile as she cooed at Sofia and cleaned the dribble from her chin. It was a sight, so I couldn't blame him. I wondered what he thought of seeing Bella like this — like a mother. I mean, she basically was Little One's mom, even though we hadn't talked about it much — except for that time at the grocery store. I knew it was soon, but I hoped maybe one day Sofia would call her mom.

Yeah, way too fucking soon.

"You're a natural, Bells," Charlie said, grinning. "Is that all she eats?"

Bella shook her head. "No, she eats baby food, too. We already gave her dinner before leaving, since we got in so late. Her favorite is chicken and gravy, but she eats everything pretty well."

"Except carrots," I laughed. "She manages to get them on me every time, so we've stopped trying."

He smirked. "She throws her food at you?"

"Spits it up on him, too," Bella laughed softly. "I've found all kinds of things in his hair."

"That's hilarious, but not you?"

She shook her head. "No, she eats pretty well for me. I don't know why, though. I've only had to clean myself up a handful of times."

"Like I said, a natural. So, is there enough room up there for her crib?" he asked, changing the subject.

I nodded. "I already set up the portable. She'll probably go down in an hour or so, but she has to play more first. She took a late nap in the car. Hopefully that won't cause issues."

"Well, feel free to do whatever you have to. I'm gonna head upstairs soon, if that's all right."

"Of course, Daddy," Bella said, smirking. "I know it's almost past your bedtime."

He laughed. "After nine, then yup." He stood from the recliner and came over in front of her, leaning down and kissing her cheek. "Happy almost birthday, honey. Thank you for coming to see me."

"You're welcome. Good night. I love you."

"Love you, too." He moved his hand to Little One's head, rubbing it softly. "Night, pumpkin head."

Wait . . . Did he just call my kid _pumpkin head_? I mean, sure, she had red hair and all, but that was kind of . . . rude. I didn't like it, but Bella laughed and called it cute. Fuck no, it wasn't. My kid wasn't a damn gourd.

Once Pornstache went upstairs, Little One finished her bottle and we played for a while. She wasn't tired in the least, which wasn't good. Her schedule was all fucked up now. She had a late nap, a late bottle, and the environment was new. For some reason, I just knew it all spelled disaster. I was right, too. Nothing we did made her want to go to sleep. Bella swayed with her, I swayed with her, but she was wide eyed and playful, giggling loudly and babbling her usual nonsense.

Around eleven, Bella went upstairs and got a children's book. We hoped reading to her would do the trick, so I held Sofia in my arms as Bella read from it. It had pictures and even textures, which Little One touched with joy. It only seemed to wind her up more.

"What about one of your books?" I asked, sighing in defeat as Little One squirmed in my arms.

"I brought _Sense and Sensibility_ with me," she said. "I can try it."

I shrugged. "It's worked before, right? At this point, I'm getting desperate."

"Okay, I'll go get it." She smiled, leaning down to kiss Little One's forehead before getting up.

When she came back down, she started at the beginning and spoke softly as she read. Truthfully, I didn't give a shit about the book and had never read it before. From the look of its binding, I guessed this wasn't a first time reread, or even second for Bella. A few pages in, Little One yawned and started to blink slowly. She had stopped squirming and just laid still in my arms. Holy shit, Bella _was_ magical. I didn't know if it was her voice, or maybe that Sofia just found the book as boring as I did, but it worked like a charm. Within twenty minutes, she was out like a light.

I stood up carefully, and we walked upstairs to Bella's old bedroom. I had gotten the crib all sorted out earlier, so I gently laid Little One down as Bella made our bed. I was scratching my head a little at the fact that Pornstache was all right with us sharing a bed, but nothing had been said. I figured he'd care about that.

Once we had changed, Bella and I laid down in the small bed, and I pulled her into my arms, kissing her. I wasn't going to be able to actually touch her all weekend, so I took what I could get and moved my hand to her ass.

She pulled away from me, laughing softly. "You're terrible. In my dad's house? Really?"

I smirked. "I was going to go for your boobs, but I know how you get."

She rolled her eyes and kissed me again. "Only you, Edward. Only you."


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26: For Bella**

Little One decided six-thirty was late enough to sleep in this morning, so I was woken up by her babbling. Somehow, Bella wasn't, though. Since it was her birthday, I gladly rushed out of the room with Little One and her diaper bag, so Bella could sleep in. It sure as hell wasn't my only gift, but I figured it was a good way to start the day.

The only issue with her sleeping in was that I was alone with Pornstache. After changing Little One's diaper in the living room, we went into the kitchen and found him at the table, drinking coffee and reading a newspaper.

People still read newspapers? Huh.

"Morning," he said, nodding his head as I set Little One down in the high chair, so I could get her breakfast ready.

"Morning, sir."

He turned the page, and Little One honed in on the new sound. Bright eyed and fucking bushy tailed didn't begin to describe her this morning. She was already giggling and clapping . . . because of newspaper. Maybe I was just tired, but my kid was weird sometimes.

"So, Bells still asleep?" Charlie asked as I poured myself a cup of coffee, and then sat down to feed Sofia some puréed fruit shit.

I nodded. "Yeah. I figured a good gift from Sofia was letting her sleep in on her birthday."

He smiled. "I'm sure she'll appreciate it. Sleep well?"

"I did, thanks. You?"

"Yep."

And that was basically all we said to each other as I fed Little One. He was a quiet man, like Bella had been. You know, awkward, I guess. When he finished his cup of coffee, he went into the living room and I heard the TV turn on.

After she finished her fruit, I gave Little One a few ounces of formula as we sat in the kitchen alone. "So, how's it going, Little One?" I asked as she gripped the bottle. "Enjoying the trip, I hope?"

She continued to drink, ignoring me as usual.

"It's Bella's birthday, so you should be on your best behavior today. I'm sure she'd appreciate it." I smirked. "Then again, you're just about always good for her. I put your name on the card, just so you know. The necklace is just from me, though. I figured you wouldn't mind."

"I did that," Charlie said, and my head shot up. Shit, he was fucking stealth. "I talked to Bella about anything and everything, hoping she'd talk to me."

He poured himself another cup of coffee and sat down at the table again as I wiped the dribble from Little One's mouth and gave her the bottle back to finish. "I've always talked to her," I said.

He nodded. "Has Bella told you about her mom's death?"

"Uh, a little. Why?"

"She was four when I got her. A tiny thing, actually. She was scared to death, and I couldn't blame her one bit for not talking. She and Renee were in a car accident."

"I'm so sorry," I said, shaking my head. "I didn't know how she died. Bella doesn't talk about her much."

"Yeah, she doesn't really remember her. Anyway, they were in a car accident. Bella was buckled into a booster seat and escaped with only a broken arm, but Renee's injuries were fatal. I got the call because Renee had put my name in her will. I was . . . shocked," he sighed, blinking. "I mean, one second I was single and completely alone, and then I was suddenly some little girl's father. Of course I stepped up, even though I didn't understand why Renee never told me about her."

"How did you deal with it? I mean, Sofia's a baby. She doesn't know anything. I can't imagine how . . . horrible that was for Bella."

"Well, like I said, Bells didn't talk to me, or anyone for that matter. I took her to a shrink, and the woman said it was her way of dealing. She gave me suggestions and Bella saw her for a few years, which helped, I guess. The suggestion was to just talk to Bells. No matter what I was doing, I had to talk to her. You know, tell her I was taking out the trash or getting something from the fridge. I'd ask her questions, too. One day, she answered and it wasn't just a shrug or a nod." He smiled, looking at his cup. "I asked her if she wanted orange juice — like I had done for a month and she always shrugged — but this time she whispered, 'apple, please?' From there on out, she started talking more. Well, not a whole hell of a lot, but like she should have been."

"She's still quiet," I said.

He nodded. "Like me, I suppose. Her mother was _loud,_ " he laughed.

I smiled to myself, watching him as he talked about Bella's mom. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yep, but she was amazing. To this day, I still kick myself for not going after her. I learned the hard way that if you love someone, don't let 'em go because you might not get another chance." He frowned, clearing his throat. "Well, I need to go wrap Bells' birthday present. I figured we'd do what we always do — dinner at The Lodge. Sound good to you?"

I nodded. "Yeah, sure. Gifts there?"

He shrugged. "If you want, son. I'm, uh . . . sorry if this trip messed up your plans for Bella's birthday. It's just that she's my little girl, and I've missed her."

I smiled, lifting Little One to pat her back. "This is what she wanted, and her happiness is all that matters."

As he stood, he reached down and patted my shoulder. "Smart boy."

. . . . .

Charlie, Little One, and I sat in the living room, watching some fishing show — which was boring as hell, by the way — until nine. Bella came down with a smile and sat down beside me, pressing her lips to mine after greeting her dad.

"Happy birthday," I said, smiling.

"Thank you. And thank you, Sofia. You were so quiet last night, and I even got to sleep in."

I bounced Little One on my knee as she babbled away. "She says you're welcome, and she's glad you liked her first gift."

Bella took her from me, lifting her above her head and bringing her down to kiss her cheek. "Aww, that was so sweet of you, baby girl. But first gift, huh? What does your daddy have planned?"

I laughed, tickling Little One's belly. "I'm so glad you can't talk yet. Bella just has to wait, doesn't she?"

Bella pouted and kissed Sofia's cheek once more before handing her back to me. We spent the morning in the house, mostly just playing with Little One. Pornstache fucking loved my kid, let's just say. He even got on the floor with her and Bella, and she crawled to him. She had become attached to his mustache, literally. Any chance she got, she pulled on it, making him laugh. The guy really wasn't frightening, like I imagined him to be. Then again, it was probably impossible to look scary when you were letting a baby rule you, just so she'd laugh.

After we had lunch, Little One went down for a nap without a problem. Even though he didn't know how to change a diaper or feed her, Charlie agreed to keep her for an hour at Bella's request. I was little a apprehensive, but Bella wanted to show me something.

"She's going to be asleep, Edward," she said, mixing a bottle for later. "We'll be ten minutes away. I swear. You know as well as I do that once she's out, she's almost always out for two hours."

I sighed reluctantly as I nodded. "All right, but you'll call if she wakes up, right, Charlie?"

"Course I will," he said. "I'll keep that monitor by me and the TV on low, so I don't wake her."

"Dad knows CPR," Bella said, smiling. Why fuck did she think _that_ would make me feel better? "Not that he'll need it, of course," she added quickly, taking in my expression. "She'll be fine. Trust me."

"Fine, but I'm serious about a phone call."

Charlie laughed softly, nodding. "Understood. Have fun, and happy birthday again, Bells." He leaned in, hugging Bella softly.

"Thanks, Daddy." She smiled.

. . . . .

It turned out that the place Bella wanted to take me was actually a ten minute walk off of the back porch. As we followed a path through the forest, I held her hand and we talked about Pornstsche and Little One.

"He _adores_ her," she said, grinning. "I think it's so cute how she just captures everyone's heart."

"She's like me, only smaller," I laughed.

"Oh, yes, you're just the most lovable man in the world," she teased. "But my dad does like you, so that makes me happy."

"Has he told you that?" I asked as we came to a stream.

"Well no, but he doesn't have to. I can just tell. Here, sit with me," she said, pulling me over to a log laying off to the side. "So, what do you think?"

I looked around, finding nothing remarkable. This was what she wanted to show me? A stream in the middle of the woods? "Um . . . it's dark."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "This is my secret spot. I used to come here when I was a teenager and just . . . read or think. I'd come here to cry sometimes, too."

My brow creased as I squeezed her hand softly. "Cry?"

She smiled sadly. "When I missed my mom and just wanted to be alone, I'd come here and talk to her. When I had my first crush on a boy and he didn't even give me the time of day, I came here and asked her why. I mean, I obviously couldn't ask Dad, so I wanted to talk to my mom. Of course I never got an answer, but I felt better for some reason. I'm sure you'll think I'm crazy, but I believe she can hear me out here."

I shuffled my foot against the dirt as I smiled and looked around. "Hi, Renee. I'm uh . . . Edward."

"Oh, she knows about you," Bella said, moving closer to me as I wrapped my arm around her. "When I came here a while back, I talked to her about you. I spent two hours out here, actually. I told her how much you had changed, but that I still had concerns. I told her how I already loved you, even though it might not have been a good thing. And of course I told her about Sofia. By the time I went back home, I had a feeling that I _needed_ to hear you out, even though I was hurt that you pushed me away."

I nodded. "Dick move on my part. So, do you think she'd like me?"

She shrugged. "If she were here and like how I imagine her to be, I'd say so. Dad always says she saw the best in people, so I think she'd see what I see. She'd see you're an amazing father, even though you don't see it, and she'd see how caring you are, even though you don't like to admit it. I think she'd love your sense of humor."

I smiled. "I am pretty fucking hilarious."

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head as a smile played on her lips. "You can definitely make me laugh. But usually it's something you do, not something you say."

I kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry you didn't know your mom. And I certainly don't think you're crazy for thinking she can hear you. I hope she can."

She nodded. "Me too, otherwise I've been talking to trees for years," she laughed softly.

"Well, that _might_ be a little crazy," I chuckled as she laid her head against my chest. "So, about your dad liking me . . . How do you know?"

"Well, he hasn't started cleaning his gun in front of you. He did that to Jacob and my senior prom date, Eric. Seriously, shotgun in his hands when Jacob picked me up for our first date."

I laughed. "I can see that, actually."

"I actually expected that last night when we got here, so I was pleasantly surprised when the guns were on the rack."

I thought back to the rack of shotguns in Pornstache's living room. They were a little . . . intimidating. The gun belt he had hanging off of the banister was, too. "He found me talking to Little One this morning, and we started talking about when you were little."

She cocked her head. "Oh, yeah? What about me?"

"How he did the same thing, but for different reasons."

She smiled. "Yeah, I vaguely remember the nonstop talking. He went from being quiet as a mouse, to talking about every single thing he was doing. Thankfully, it didn't last forever. I guess once things were a little more normal, we got to know each other. It was rough, though. He didn't know what he was doing, and that only became more difficult as I got older. Still, he tried his best. God," she laughed, "buying my first bra was humiliating for both of us."

I about snorted at the thought. "I'm leaving that one to you, just so you know."

"Oh, good, but the birds and bees are yours, then."

"Fuck no," I said, shaking my head. "I'll handle teaching her how to drive."

She held her hand out, laughing. "Deal?"

"Deal," I said, shaking it.

Yeah, there was no weirdness in that discussion. After deciding that we wanted a future together, why would there be? I _did_ want Bella to be Little One's mom, and from how she acted, I was sure she wanted the same. Still, we hadn't actually talked about that, and I wondered if it were too early. I also wondered if we even had to talk about it. Did I need to ask? Probably, but I decided that could wait a little while longer. Hell, she didn't even technically live with me yet.

We sat on the log in the middle of the woods for a while. We talked a little more, but mostly enjoyed the peace and quiet. I also realized I didn't have to keep my hands off of her, so I took my chance and kissed her like I wanted as my hands grabbed things Charlie probably didn't want to see. Sadly, she said sex on a log was dangerous, not fun like I suggested.

Damn.

. . . . .

When we got back to the house, Charlie said Little One was still sound asleep. That didn't keep me from checking, though. Of course she was lying in the crib, lips parted softly and she snoozed. I kissed her forehead, and then went back downstairs with Bella and her dad.

"So, Edward, has Bella told you about fishing tomorrow?" Charlie asked, flipping the TV to another channel.

Bella opened her mouth, but I spoke first. "I've never been, sir, but I guess I could try."

She smiled entwining her fingers through mine as she mouthed, "Thank you."

Did I actually want to go? Hell no, but I _did_ want to make Bella happy. Besides, how hard could it be? I'd sit in a boat for a few hours with a pole. Simple. Chances were he wouldn't even talk much. Wasn't there some rule about silence when fishing?

Charlie nodded. "Great, we leave at five. I'll lend you some stuff."

I looked at the smile on Bella's face to remind me why I was going, because five in the morning seemed fucking ridiculous. "Sounds . . . fun," I lied through my teeth as I faked a smile.

Once Little One woke up from her nap, Bella and I got the stroller out of the car and took her for a walk. For once, it was actually sunny in this part of Washington. Bella said she was amazed. The street she grew up on seemed nice, and a few of her old neighbors were out, doing things in their yards. As we passed one house, an older woman waved to Bella and we stopped, so they could talk. From their conversation, I gathered the woman — whose name was Mrs. Martha, by the way — had watched Bella when she was younger. Of course Mrs. Martha was quick to ask about Little One, and Bella happily told her all about my daughter.

She gushed about Sofia's milestones as she let the old woman hold her — which I wasn't so fond of, by the way. Still, I let it go because watching Bella talk about my daughter like her own made me so fucking happy. I realized I probably sounded like she did when I went on and on about Little One at work. Hell, I had even started to show pictures of her to the nurses. They ate that shit up.

"Well, I need to get back to my yard work," Mrs. Martha said, passing Little One back to Bella. "It's so good to see you again, sweetheart, and lovely to meet you and your daughter, Edward. Congratulations."

"Thank you," I said as Bella strapped Sofia back into the stroller.

We continued on our walk as we talked about Bella's childhood. I liked finally learning things that she hadn't given up about herself so easily. She really opened up today. When she started talking about her time in high school, I couldn't help but laugh at some of the things she said.

"Oh, and there was the time Mike Newton tried to ask me to Homecoming," she said. "I was so awkward and accidentally slammed my locker on his hand when he asked."

I laughed. "I take it you didn't go with him?"

She shook her head. "Oh, no. He rescinded his offer quite quickly. I mean, I _did_ break his hand, which effectively took him out of the Homecoming game. Our football team sucked as it was, but without him they didn't have a chance in hell. I got some pretty nasty looks after that, let's just say," she laughed. "I told you I was awkward. High school was _horrible_ for me."

"Well, then I guess it's a good thing that shit didn't actually matter."

"My dad would tell me that, actually. He'd say 'screw 'em, Bells.' and then take me to the diner for pie and ice cream to make me feel better. Looking back now, though, I think he just wanted pie."

I smirked. "Did the pie help, at least?"

"Yeah, kinda," she said, nodding as we turned around and headed back to her dad's house. "So, when do I get my gift?" She grinned.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "You're impatient. How does it feel to by twenty-six? Pretty soon you'll be thirty," I teased.

"Unlike you, I'm not afraid of getting older. Besides, I have four more years. By then you'll be thirty-four, so I don't want to hear it, old man." She stopped and lifted her hand. "Is that a gray hair?"

I grabbed her hand in mine, pulling it down. "That's not even almost funny."

She laughed, releasing my hand and wrapping her arm around me. "I'm just kidding. Your hair is as coppery as ever."

. . . . .

Once we got back to Pornstache's house, Bella fed Little One dinner as I showered and got dressed. Once I was done, she showered, and I took care of getting Little One ready for tonight. Amazingly, she sat still for me to put the bow in her hair. Then again, she was preoccupied by the ruffles on her pink dress. She stretched them out, amazed by how it went back the wave. Her expression was fucking adorable. Once I had her shoes on, I picked her up and grabbed the necklace for Bella from my duffle bag, putting it in my jacket pocket.

"All right, Little One," I said, grabbing her diaper bag. "Let's go downstairs and wait for Bella and Charlie. You look so pretty, you know that?"

"Nahhh eee!" she babbled, clapping her hands. I laughed and kissed her cheek before walking downstairs.

Charlie was already sitting on the couch, ready to go with a wrapped gift in his lap. Shockingly, the man wasn't in flannel, but instead dressed . . . nicely. Huh. Maybe The Lodge was nicer than it sounded. Still, I wouldn't have been surprised if there were dead animals on the walls.

Pornstache looked at us and smiled, nodding his head. "Bow's a little crooked."

I sat down and turned Little One in my lap. "I swear to God, these things are impossible. I mean, does she _actually_ need a bow?"

He laughed gruffly. "Well, she's sure a cutie with it. Bella wasn't too girlie, so I never had to deal with that, thank God."

I took the bow out and clipped it back in, trying to make sure it was straight this time. "If it wasn't for my mother, she wouldn't have any bows. She bought all of Little One's stuff when I first got her. A while back she took Bella, too. There were even more bows and headbands. Ridiculous."

"So, uh . . . what do your parents think of the baby? I'm guessing they were pretty supportive?"

I nodded. "Yeah, they help a lot. My dad expected me to step up, which I did, even though I really didn't think I could. Now though, I don't know what I'd do without Sofia." I lifted her up and kissed her cheek, making her giggle.

While we waited for Bella, Charlie and I talked a little — mostly about Little One, but Bella, too. Before she came down and interrupted us, he was telling me how Bella's clumsiness came from her mother.

"I'm not that bad," Bella said, narrowing her eyes at Charlie.

He laughed, standing up. "I can't count how many times you tripped down those stairs, Bells."

She rolled her eyes and took Little One from me to strap her into the car seat. "Thanks, Daddy."

"It's not like I didn't know," I laughed. "I mean, remember the first day we meet? You tripped then, and there was also the bowling alley incident."

"Ha, ha, ha, everyone laugh at Bella's clumsiness. It's my birthday. Be nice to me."

I leaned down, kissing her cheek since Pornstache was watching. It was one thing if _she_ kissed _me_ , but I didn't want to disrespect the man in his house. Besides, we had been getting along well, and I didn't want to mess that up.

Once Little One was ready to go, we took Mom's SUV to the restaurant. Charlie sat up front with me, giving directions. It made me fucking nervous. I had a cop watching me drive. Could he give me a ticket, even if he wasn't working? To be safe, I went slower than ever before and made sure to use my signals. I heard his gruff laugh at one point, but brushed it off.

When we got to The Lodge — which, honest to god was its name — I found I was right about dead animals on the walls. Yeah, they weren't creepy looking at all. Charlie was greeted warmly, with everyone calling him Chief. He just nodded at them as we were shown our table.

I flipped the high chair over and laid Little One's car seat down, so she could still see us. She looked around with a smile on her face, taking in the new sights and people. When the waitress came over, Little One was the star, as usual. It also turned out that Bella went to school with the woman — Tracey.

"I had no idea, Bella," she said. "Congrats on the baby!"

Bella blushed, smiling and just said, "Thanks."

She could have corrected her, but she didn't. Pornstache, on the other hand, cocked an eyebrow at her. She shrugged and ordered her food, and nothing else was said. I wondered if Charlie didn't like people assuming Bella was Little One's mom. I mean, I could see why. She wasn't Sofia's mom, even though I basically considered her that.

Through dinner, Charlie and Bella talked a lot about her job and the kids she was teaching this year. He asked if had thought about going back to school anymore, and she said for now she was happy. With the way she talked about her kids, there was no doubt about it.

"So, have you considered when you might retire?" Bella asked, cutting into her steak.

Charlie shrugged. "Not any time soon."

She sighed softly. We actually had talked about her dad's job before. She wanted him to retire because she was worried, but the man didn't want to. Bella dropped it and went on to ask about our fishing trip tomorrow, which he gladly talked about. It sounded so fucking boring. We'd be sitting in a boat for hours, doing nothing. I didn't understand how anyone could find it fun.

Well, at least he wasn't taking me hunting, I guess.

. . . . .

Once we had finished dinner, the waitress brought out a cake. There was no singing, and I figured if there had been, Bella would have died of embarrassment. Instead, we were left alone and she blew out the candles while holding Little One — who had gotten a little fussy.

"Happy birthday," I said, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"Happy birthday, Bells," Charlie said. "Thanks for spending it with your old man."

She smiled. "Of course, Daddy."

As we ate the cake, Bella dipped her finger in the icing and Little One happily sucked on it. She fucking loved it, so Bella gave her a little more after asking me if it was okay. I didn't see the harm. I mean, it wasn't like she had much. Besides, the fucking giggle and expression were priceless. I had to take a picture for my mom.

Once we had finished eating, Charlie passed Bella his gift first. It turned out to be two books and a nice bookmark, which Bella loved. Obviously, the guy knew his daughter. Once she had hugged him and returned to her seat, I pulled the necklace box out and passed it to her.

Little One was fascinated as Bella tore the paper away. When Bella opened the box, her mouth fell open as her eyes grew wide. "Edward," she whispered, running a finger over the heart charm made of small diamonds.

It wasn't anything big, and Mom helped me pick it out. Honestly, I didn't know what the fuck to get Bella for her birthday, but jewelry seemed like a good idea. She had loved the bracelet I bought her a while back — was wearing it, actually — so I decided a necklace would be good.

"Do you want to wear it?" I asked, smiling as she did.

She nodded, passing me the box. "Yes, please. Edward, it's beautiful. Thank you."

I stood up and put it around her neck, pulling her hair from the chain. She played with the charm and showed Sofia, who wrapped her little fingers around it.

"You're welcome," I said, kissing her cheek once more. She turned her head toward me and pressed her lips to mine. "I love you."

She smiled. "I love you, too."


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27: Fuck, I Fell Out of the Boat**

Five o'clock in the fucking morning came _way_ too early. Hell, Bella didn't even get out of bed. I kissed her and Little One goodbye before leaving the house with Charlie. We took an older truck — not as old as Bella's was, thank God — with a boat hitched to it and drove a good twenty minutes out to a lake.

He talked me through getting the boat in the water, and I did what I could to help. Thankfully, I didn't have to do much, just tell him when he got to a certain point with a thumbs up. Other than the boat thing, we didn't talk much at first. I was still fucking exhausted, and he was just . . . quiet. It worked out perfectly.

"You've never fished, right?" Charlie asked once we got out into the middle of the lake.

I shook my head. "Never. My dad isn't the . . . outdoors type, I guess you could say."

He nodded, passing me one of the poles. "No problem. I'll show you how to use the rod first."

He told me how to cast the line, showing me before passing it over. After fucking up a few times, I finally figured it out. Really, it didn't seem _that_ hard. Once he was done telling me everything, Charlie put the hook and disgusting worm on my pole and passed it over before doing his own.

And then we just sat there. The only sounds were of birds and other creatures in the nearby woods. I was seriously about to fall asleep I was so bored. Time passed slowly as I checked my watch. Charlie just sat there, watching the little bob thing in the water.

"It's peaceful," I said, clicking my tongue.

He grunted, nodding. "Yep."

"There are fish here, right?"

He looked up at me, cocking an eyebrow. "Yeah, we just need to be patient. They'll come."

And so we waited some more. Eventually, he caught something. He threw it back, though, and I was left wondering why the fuck he did that. Wasn't the point of this to _catch_ a fish?

"Let's check your line," he said, putting a new worm on his.

I reeled mine in and found my bait gone. How . . . what the hell? I didn't even feel anything. I fucking hated that a fish outsmarted me. "I didn't feel anything," I told him.

He shrugged. "Sometimes they're slick little bastards."

Once we had new bait, we threw our lines back out. I had to ask. I just couldn't help it. "Why did you throw your fish back?"

"Too small. It wasn't like I could eat it, so why kill the thing? Besides, today isn't really about that. I wanted some alone time with you . . . to talk."

I gulped. Yesterday he had been great. I thought we were getting along pretty well, so I wondered what he wanted to talk about. Jesus Christ, if he asked me what my intentions were with his daughter, I'd either die laughing or die of embarrassment. I couldn't decide which.

"Oh," I said. "All right, then."

He looked out at the water before speaking. "It's weird, you know? Seeing how Bella is with your daughter. She seems so . . . natural. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she could easily be that little girl's mom."

"She's always been so good with her, but I can see how it's weird for you. Last night when that waitress assumed she was Bella's, you looked a little uneasy."

He nodded. "I am, but it's not that I don't like you and your daughter, Edward. I just worry about my little girl."

"Well, I love her. I know I've made mistakes in my life, and I don't deserve her, but she means a lot to me. I don't want to lose her. I can't sit here and say that I'd feel the same for her if she didn't love my daughter, because that's a big part of it. But I _know_ I love her for more than that. She's made me a better person. She's believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. She knows my faults, but still accepts me for who I am."

He smiled a little and the pornstache twitched. "She sees the best in people, like her mother."

"She does, and I love that about her. Honestly, Charlie, I don't know what I'd do without her. She did fall into the role of Sofia's mom, and we haven't even talked about it. We've only been together for a few months, but I know what I want. And it's her. I want her and my daughter. I . . . want us to be a family someday."

"Son, you already are," he laughed. "Whether you've talked about it or not, she sees herself as that little girl's mother. That's what I worry about. If you were to take that away from her, she'd be crushed."

"I'd never do that. I really do want to spend the rest of my life with her. No, our relationship isn't conventional. I have a kid, and that makes things different. But it also makes them better. We're not sitting around, wondering where to go from here. We know. In my heart, I know full well what I want."

He nodded. "Well, that's what I needed to hear. You know, when she came here a while back, she was a mess. She cried, and I told myself I wouldn't let another man hurt her like Jacob did. I didn't want to like you after everything she told me. But now that I see how you are and how you act . . . well, you're good for her. You and your daughter."

"I thought you'd hate me," I said, feeling a tug on my line. Holy shit. "I got something!"

He put his hand on the pole because I was about to drop the damn thing. "Reel it in!"

I reeled it in as fast as I could, feeling the resistance. Suddenly, a big ass fish came flopping out of the water, scaring the shit out of me. I fell backwards, falling out of the fucking boat into the lake. I popped up to the surface quickly because of the life vest. I heard his damn laughter before I could open my eyes.

Pornstache was laughing is fucking ass off, eyes closed, holding his stomach. What. The. Hell? I swam back to the boat, putting my hands on the edge to pull myself up because _he_ wasn't quick to offer help. As soon as the boat starting rocking, though, he calmed down and held his hand out.

"Flip this boat over and I _will_ hate you," he said, helping me up.

Once I was back in the boat, he continued laughing as I coughed up water and found my fish flopping around beside me. I hated fishing, and to prove my point, I wanted to eat the fucker.

"Holy shit, son," he said, trying to stifle himself. "Are you all right?"

I shook my head, sending water over him. "Yeah, _great_." I glared. "I'm eating that, by the way."

He picked it up, looking it over as he nodded. "Nice catch. I'll prepare him for you."

I took my shoes off, emptying the water from them. "Are we done?"

He smirked. "Sure, let's call it a day."

. . . . .

The drive back to Charlie's house was uncomfortable, to say the least. I didn't feel at all bad about getting his seat wet because when I complained, he laughed again. Apparently the man had a sense of humor. Who knew?

"I'm sorry, but that was one of the funniest things I've seen in a while," he said as I tried to get my phone to turn on. No luck, of course. The thing had been in my pocket.

"Yeah, I definitely won't forget this," I sighed.

"Thanks for coming with me, though. I'm glad we could talk."

I nodded. "Of course, but it's not happening again."

He chuckled. "Can't blame you. Maybe hunting next time. Ever shoot a gun?"

I fucking prayed he was kidding, but I had a feeling he wasn't. "No, and I can't say I want to, I'm afraid."

He shrugged. "I understand. Besides, if you wound up shooting yourself, Bells would kill me."

Once we got back to the house, Bella laughed at me, too. I _really_ didn't find the humor. God only knows what kind of bacteria was in that water. Realizing that I wasn't laughing, Bella stopped and kissed me, smiling as we parted.

"I'm sorry you fell in," she said. "If it makes you feel better, I've done it before. But to be fair, it was because of my clumsiness, not because a fish scared me."

"Have you seen it?" I asked, opening my hands to show her it's size. "I had a right to be scared! It was flying at me, okay?"

She bit her lip, trying to keep herself from laughing. "Okay, Edward. Why don't you go shower? Dad's going to filet your monster fish for you and fry it for lunch. I'm sure Sofia will want her bottle by the time you're done."

"Was she good for you?"

She smiled, nodding. "Perfect angel, as always. I think she missed her daddy some, though."

I leaned down, pressing my lips to hers for a moment before heading to the shower. Once I was done, I sat in the living room with Little One and gave her a bottle. Bella was in the kitchen with her dad, so we were alone.

"I swear to never force you to go fishing," I said, kissing her forehead. "But the good news is that Charlie likes me. He basically told me so. He likes you, too, but that's a given. He isn't sure about how attached Bella is to us, but I think he understands it now."

She gripped the bottle, basically holding it on her own as she watched me.

"I'm ready to go home now, though. I think I've had _plenty_ of excitement. And, uh . . . I think I'm going to ask Bella something later." I smiled, leaning down to whisper, "Let's hope she says yes, okay?"

Once Little One had finished with her bottle, I got on the floor with her, putting her on her feet as I held her up. She bounced happily with my help until Bella came in to say lunch was ready.

"Can I hold her?" she asked as I sat down at the table.

I held Little One up, and the kid reached out for Bella, babbling happily for her. Bella cooed, and I watched as Charlie smiled a little. I thought he was maybe starting to get used to it. I hoped so, at least. Bella was clearly happy — the smile on her face showed it.

My fish tasted okay, but still wasn't worth having lake water in my pants. Charlie liked it, though. Since there was a Seahawks game on, he asked if we wanted to stay and watch. I had tomorrow off, and Bella wanted to stay a little longer, so we watched the game with him. It ended with the Seahawks losing, which Charlie didn't like.

He was just as bad as Emmett.

When it came time to leave, Bella hugged her dad tightly, promising to come back soon.

"Good, and you'll have to bring the pumpkin head, too," he said. "Both of them, I guess."

He laughed as Bella did, hugging her once more. She kissed his cheek and said, "Love you, Daddy. Thank you."

"Course. Have a safe drive, and let me know you got home okay. Love you, Bells."

"Bye, Charlie," I said, holding my hand out, which he shook. "Thank you for inviting us."

He nodded. "No problem. Take care."

"You, too. Say bye, Little One," I said, waving her hand for him.

. . . . .

"God, it's good to be home," I said, laying the bags down on the floor inside of my apartment.

Bella set the car seat down and pulled my sleeping daughter out, soothing her when she fussed a little. "You had a good time, though, right? I mean, besides the boat incident." I didn't miss the little smirk on her lips, but I chose to ignore it.

"Yeah, it went much better than I expected. He totally likes me." I grinned, taking Little One from her. "And I think he loves you, Sofia."

"Oh, he does," Bella said, smiling. "It was so cute to watch him with her. I've never seen my dad with a baby before, but he did really well, you know?"

"She had a blast with him." I leaned down, kissing her softly. "I'm going to go lay her down. Will you stay tonight?"

She nodded. "Of course, but I'm going to go put my bag in my apartment and grab some clothes. Night, night, baby girl."

She kissed Little One's cheek, and then left while I headed for the nursery. I laid Sofia down on the changing table and changed her diaper, putting her in a sleeper. She was half asleep, blinking slowly as I dressed her and took her headband off.

"I'll give you a bath tomorrow, all right?" I asked, rubbing her belly. "Daddy loves you, you know that? Thanks for doing so well this weekend. You're such a good girl."

I picked her up and sat down in the rocking chair with her. I laid her against my shoulder and patted her bottom softly as she yawned and a little squeak came out. Fucking adorable. She burrowed her head in my neck and gripped my shirt loosely as she drifted off again.

"I'm scared, Little One," I whispered. "I'm scared Bella is going to be freaked out when I ask her to move in with us. Is it too soon? I mean, we haven't even been together for four months yet. Then again, Jasper had decided to marry Alice in less time than this. The chicken shit still hasn't asked her yet, though. I think this is a good idea. She basically lives here already, so what really changes? I move some stuff out and she moves some stuff in. I want to ask her so much more, though. Not marriage, obviously. It's a little quick for that, but . . . I want to ask her if she considers herself your mother. We talk about it so casually, but I wonder what she really thinks. I just see her as your mom. I see her as my wife someday, too."

I smiled to myself, still rocking even though Little One was out cold. "I'm really happy about where my life is because of you, baby girl. When you're old enough — and trust me, I'm leaving out most of the details — I'm going to tell you how thankful I am for you, and how you made me a better person."

I heard the front door shut, so I stood up and laid Little One down in her crib, kissing her forehead before walking out to the living room. Bella was on the couch with a beer in her hand, holding it out to me as she smiled.

"You deserve this," she said.

I plopped down beside her, titling the bottle into my mouth. "I told you that I'm never fishing again, right?" I laughed, setting the beer down before draping my arm around her shoulders and pulling her into me.

"I believe you did, yes," she giggled. "It was nice of you to try it, though. I kind of wish I had given you log sex now."

"We had time earlier. We could have gone back out there."

She lifted her hand, patting my cheek and pulling me down so she could kiss me. "I said kind of, but I have missed being with you. Sofia's asleep, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but can we talk first?"

She sat up, cocking her head. "This is serious. You just turned down sex."

I chuckled. "I _postponed_ it. I didn't turn it down. And yeah, it's serious, but hopefully good. I've been thinking a lot lately, about how happy I am and how feel like I'm finally where I should be in life."

She smiled. "I'm happy, too. We're in a good place."

"We are, but I'd like to be in a better place . . . A place where we live together."

Her eyes widened a little, but the smile didn't falter, so I continued. "You're here all the time. In the past few weeks, how many nights have you slept in your apartment? Zero, right? You're here, and I love you being here, so I'd like to make it permanent. Move in with me."

"Are you . . . sure?"

I nodded. "I am. I'm sure that I love you and that my daughter loves you. I'm sure that you're who I want to be with forever, but I also know there are steps to that. I know this is a big commitment, but I'm ready for it. Please, tell me you are, too?"

"I . . ." She paused, blinking. My heart was fucking hammering in my chest as I prayed she'd say yes. "I'd love to move in with you."

"Yeah?" I asked, slowly grinning.

"Yes, but . . . I don't know. It just seems quick, doesn't it? I don't want to rush into anything that you're not committed to."

"Bella, I'm committed to you. I know it's only been a few months, but look how we act? We act like a family. You . . . you act like Little One's mom."

Fuck, that slipped out.

 _Please, please, don't freak out,_ I thought as she sat there, silent for a moment.

"I think of her as my daughter," she said softly. "I know she's not, but I love her like that. It just happened, you know? And how we talk about her seems so normal to me."

"Me too. I don't even think about it half the time."

"I wish she were mine."

I smiled, taking her hand and kissing the top of it. "I wish she were yours, too. I swear to God that I didn't plan on bringing this up tonight."

"I'm happy you did, because I honestly had no idea how to bring this up."

"I didn't either, so I'm pretty glad it slipped out," I laughed. "So, you _do_ want to be her mom?"

She started tearing up, but her smile was gorgeous. "Of course I do, Edward. You don't know how happy that makes me."

She put her arms around my neck, and I held her close. She was moving in with me. She wanted to be Little One's mom. Jesus Christ, _this_ was everything that I didn't know I wanted.

"I love you so much," she said, crying.

I pulled back, wiping her tears. "I love you, too. Now, I'm done postponing."

She laughed softly, nodding. "Good. Take me to bed, Edward . . . _our_ bed."


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28: First Words and BooBoos**

"God, she's getting big," Jasper said, keeping Little One still as she sat on the counter top at the nurses' station. "Can you say Uncle Jasper!"

I laughed, reading through the post-ops from last night. "She won't even say daddy, so don't get your hopes up. Blow him a kiss, Little One."

She put her hand to her mouth and pushed it away, giggling. Bella and I had been working on teaching her that, and she was pretty damn good — almost always did it when we asked.

"You are too damn adorable," he said. "How old is she now? Nine months?"

I nodded. "Yep, as of two days ago."

"Oh my god, you brought your baby!" Jessica, one of the nurses said as she hurried over. "She is so cute!"

I smiled proudly as she cooed, playing around with my daughter. "My girlfriend is coming to get her in a little bit," I said. "She has the day off, so I figured I'd bring Sofia in while she had breakfast with a friend."

"Watch this," Jasper said. "Blow her a kiss, Sofia!"

He was acting like a fucking idiot, but considering the fact that Alice said yes to him last night, his good mood was expected. Yes, after months of mulling it over, he _finally_ got up the balls to ask her. Bella's phone rang at ten something last night, just as I was about to make her scream my name. She didn't answer until the third time, but when she did, I could clearly hear Alice's screaming.

Since they had the day off, she and Alice met for breakfast this morning. I had already told the daycare that Little One wouldn't be coming, so we decided I'd bring Sofia with me this morning because I didn't have any surgeries scheduled. Bella would be picking her up in an hour, but in the meantime, I soaked up all the attention Little One was bringing.

I fucking loved when people called her cute. It was true, after all.

"Unlike your dad, I actually have to work," Jasper said, picking her up and passing her over to me across the counter. "Bye, Sofia."

I buckled her into the car seat next to me on the floor and went back to my charts. Dad came by not long after and took her out again, saying he wanted to show her off.

"I'll have her back soon," he said. "Besides, you have patients to see."

I nodded. "I was going in a minute. I figured a nurse would want her," I laughed.

He kissed her cheek as she grabbed a hold of his stethoscope. The kid fucking loved shiny things. "Well, she's mine now. Aren't you, precious?"

Once he left, I got up and made rounds, making sure the patients on the surgical floor were doing all right and checking them out. It wasn't until I was checking on an older woman that it was pointed out I had one of Little One's small toys in my pocket.

Needless to say, I quickly took out my phone and showed her a picture. "She's here today, actually," I said. "I think she loves all the attention."

"Oh, I bet she does," she said, smiling. "I have a grandson her age."

"Does he talk?"

It wasn't that I was _worried_ Little One hadn't talked yet . . . but I was anxious for it to happen. I wanted that "daddy". She was nine months old, after all. She had so many developmental milestones happening all the time, but I was most looking forward to this. Walking . . . I didn't need that anytime soon, let's just say.

She nodded, making me a little jealous. "He just started not long ago, but now he won't be quiet," she laughed. "My son and daughter-in-law didn't realize that once they start, there's no stopping them. Is yours talking?"

"Not yet." I shook my head. "She's babbling a lot, but hasn't really talked."

"It'll come."

I stood up from her bed, opening her chart again and making notes on her progress. She was doing well after her cholecystectomy — gallbladder surgery — and would be leaving the hospital tomorrow, most likely. After checking on the other patients, I went to find Dad and my kid. He was showing her off at the ICU nurses' station. Jasper was there, telling him about getting engaged.

"That's great, Jasper," Dad said, patting him on the shoulder. "Congratulations. Esme will be thrilled to know that."

"Thank you, sir," Jasper said. "And damn, looks who's back for the cute kid."

Little One held her arms out for me, squealing in delight as I took her from Dad. "Bella will be here soon, so excuse me for stealing my kid back," I said. "Who the hell gave her a pen?"

I took it from her hand, and she started crying, wanting it back.

"It was that or the stethoscope," Dad said. "Besides, I took the ink out of it. Let her play."

I gave it back to her, and she babbled happily, sticking it in her mouth and chewing on it. I watched her carefully, though, making sure she wouldn't choke herself. By the time Bella texted that she was downstairs, Little One had gotten bored and dropped it, taking her toy back out of my pocket.

"Goodbye, precious girl," Dad said, kissing her cheek. "I'll see you soon."

. . . . .

Bella was waiting for me in the lobby, so we went down there after grabbing the car seat and diaper bag. Little One didn't like being put in the car seat and wound up crying all the way downstairs. I fucking hated letting her cry, but she didn't have a choice.

"Aww, you brought me a crying baby?" Bella asked, frowning as I set the car seat down. She took her out, and of course Little One stopped. "What did Daddy do to you?"

I leaned down, kissing her before tickling Sofia's belly, making her giggle a little. "I didn't do anything," I said. "She got too much attention and now only wants to be held, so good luck with that."

"Oh, that's great. So, I take it she's been good?"

I nodded. "Yep, she was shown off to just about everyone in the hospital. It's a consensus that she's the cutest baby in the world, which I already knew."

She laughed. "Well, of course! How's your day been?"

"Easy so far, but I have surgery here soon. I should be home around seven, but I might be late."

"I'll keep a plate in the microwave." She smiled. "Ready to go home, baby girl?"

"Bye, Little One," I said, kissing my daughter's cheek and blowing a raspberry on it. "Be good for Momma. I love you."

After our talk a while back, I had been referring to Bella as momma, hoping Little One would adjust to it and someday call her that. It was a little weird at first, but it just fit her. Bella was momma. Period.

"Blow Daddy a kiss!" Bella said.

Little One blew me one, and even though I looked like a moron, I caught it. She babbled on as Bella put her in the car seat again. No tears, thankfully. After kissing Bella goodbye, I went back upstairs to see my pre-op patients.

. . . . .

My day had been normal, filled with simple procedures, which ended with all my patients coming through without complications. Around five, though, a trauma came in and I was stuck in the OR for an hour past my shift. Little One was still up and cheerful by the time I got home, so it wasn't a big deal.

I ate in the living room while I watched her and Bella play with some toys. Little One fucking loved the one that made animals sounds. Bella would pull the string and Little One would bounce on her bottom when it went off, mooing or barking. The squeaking sounds she made had me laughing my ass off with Bella. The kid was too damn cute.

After putting my plate away, I got on the floor with them. We pulled out the blocks, and I helped Little One stack them together, pushing the pieces on top of each other. She decided she'd rather throw them, though. At me.

I picked her up and laid her on her back, tickling her belly as she giggled and kicked her little feet. "I've got you!" I laughed. "Throwing blocks at Daddy is a no-no."

Bella took her, putting her in her lap as she kissed her cheek. "Say, but it's fun, Daddy."

I cocked my head, smirking. "Oh, you think it's funny when she throws blocks at me? What if she hit my gorgeous face?"

"Then I guess you'd be a little less gorgeous, wouldn't you?" she laughed. "Tell Daddy he's a silly, silly man."

"Dada!"

Bella and I froze, staring at Little One. She just . . . And she was looking at _me_. Holy shit, that wasn't just another babble. "Say it again, baby girl," I said, wide eyed and grinning. "Say Dada."

She pointed at me, all smiles and said, "Dada!"

"Oh my god!" Bella said. "Where's your phone? Where's my phone?"

She passed me Sofia and ran for the end table, grabbing her phone and holding it up. I kissed Little One's head over and over as she repeated herself. Did she _actually_ mean me? I wasn't sure, but it seemed like it. The books said it was possible at this age to actually mean it, but then again, it could be just babbling. She had babbled that before, but never directed at _me._

"Her first word was Dada!" I said. "Holy shi—crap! Bella, are you getting this?"

Bella nodded, grinning as she sat in front of us with her phone. "Who's Daddy, Sofia?"

Little One giggled, clapping her hands.

"Am I Daddy?" I asked as she looked up at me.

"Dada!"

I laughed, lifting her up above me as she kicked her feet. "Yeah, I'm Daddy, Little One. God, you're so smart."

Bella and I continued to play with her for a while until it was bath time. I was so fucking happy. My kid called me dada, and I truly believed she meant it. After bathing and changing her, I rocked her until she fell asleep, which didn't take long.

I laid her down in the crib, kissing her forehead. "Thank you, Little One. I love you."

When I came out to the living room, Bella was on her laptop, but shut it once I sat down. She lay against me, and I wrapped my arms around her, kissing her.

When we parted, I grinned and said, "She called me dada."

She nodded. "Yes, she did."

"I think she meant it, too. I mean, she even pointed at me."

She laughed softly. "You're the happiest man in the world right now, aren't you?"

"Hell yes, I am. Next, we'll have to get her to say momma."

"Yeah?" She smiled, and I nodded. "I'd really, really like that."

"I've been trying to call you that to her more, so maybe it'll catch on soon."

"Oh, I hope so," she sighed, holding me close. "So, how was your day?"

Like we always did, I told Bella about my day and she told me about hers. She and Alice made plans for dinner and drinks this week to celebrate the engagement. Life seemed to be moving at such a fast pace, but it was all so good.

. . . . .

"Yeah, she totally meant it," Emmett said, watching the video of Little One calling me daddy.

"I know, right?" I asked. "She even pointed at me before we started recording."

He laughed, passing me my phone back. "You are so much worse than I was."

"I second that," Jasper said, eating his burger.

I rolled my eyes, playing the video again for myself. "Maybe I am, but she's the cutest kid in the world. This is a big fucking deal. She's _talking_."

Emmett laughed, shaking his head. "I should have Rosalie put Ben on the phone. He doesn't shut up. Pretty soon you'll be wishing you never taught her to talk, just like you already wish she never learned to crawl. It all comes back to bite you in the ass. Mark my words."

My phone started ringing, so I grabbed it off my hip. I found Bella's name and quickly put it to my ear. "Hey, what's up? Are you and Sofia home?"

"Edward, I . . . I'm so sorry," she said as I heard Little One screaming in the background. "I looked away for a _second,_ and she was on her feet, and then she . . . she wasn't. It's deep and—"

"What's deep? Why's she screaming like that, Bella?" I asked, furrowing my brow in concern.

"Sofia stood up, but she lost her balance and hit her forehead on the coffee table. She has a cut and it looks deep. I can't get the bleeding to stop. We're on our way there."

"What's going on?" Jasper asked.

"Sofia's hurt," I said, standing up and starting to head to the ER. "Did she lose consciousness, Bella?"

"No, she was crying right away. I got the first aid kit out and covered it, but it's bleeding so badly."

"Head wounds bleed heavily. You'll be here soon, right?"

"Yeah, in a few minutes. I'm so sorry, Edward."

I took a deep breath because I felt like I was having a fucking panic attack. Little One was hurt. Jesus Christ, I just wanted her to be here already. "It's not your fault, Bella," I said as I came to the admittance desk. "I need you to page Dr. Carlisle Cullen for me."

I could still hear Little One screaming and crying. It was fucking killing me, but I didn't want to get off the phone with Bella. Jasper and Emmett had followed me to the ER, but had to get back to work, so I told them I'd let them know what was going on. By the time Bella and Little One got to the ER, I had already gotten an exam room and Dad should have been down soon. When I got Little One out of the car seat, the bandage above her left eye was soaked with blood, and for the first time in my life, I felt sick from the sightof it.

"Shh, Daddy's got you," I said, rubbing her back as I walked into the ER with Bella behind me.

"Dada," she cried, holding onto my neck for dear life.

"I looked away for a second, Edward," Bella said, crying as I laid Little One down on the gurney. I grabbed gloves and pulled the bandage off, examining the inch long gash above her eye. It would need sutures, but the fact that she hadn't lost consciousness was a good sign.

I checked her pupils as she screamed at me. They were equal and reactive — another _very_ good sign. "I don't think she has a concussion," I said, sighing in relief. "She needs sutures, though."

Bella nodded, wiping her cheeks. "The phone rang . . . I left her there for a second to grab it. She must have pulled herself up using the coffee table."

"What happened?" Dad asked, rushing into the room. He basically pushed me out of the way to get to Little One.

"She stood up and lost her balance, hitting her head on the coffee table," I said. "There are no signs of a concussion, but . . . I don't know, Dad."

I pulled the gloves off and took Bella's hand, squeezing it tightly as Dad checked Little One's head. He came to the same conclusion I did, saying she just needed a few sutures, but would be fine. Still, the sight of Little One crying and bleeding made me want to curl up in the fetal position. I had never been so scared in my life.

"I'm going to grab a nurse, all right, son?" Dad asked, patting me on the shoulder. "Accidents happen, but she'll be fine. Try to calm her down for me. I'll do the sutures myself."

I nodded, going to sit on the gurney next to Bella — who had Little One in her arms. She passed Sofia to me, and I wiped my daughter's tears from her bright red cheeks. I grabbed a piece of gauze from the tray and dabbed away the blood as best I could.

"You're okay, Little One," I whispered, kissing the top of her head. "Grandpa's going to make you all better."

"I am _so_ sorry," Bella said once more.

I looked up at her and took her hand. "It's not your fault. I leave her on the floor sometimes for a few seconds, so it easily could have happened with me, too. Hell, it almost has, remember?"

"You're not mad at me?"

I shook my head. "Of course not. I've never been so scared in my life, though."

"Me too," she sighed. "When I heard that thump, and then her crying, I thought my heart had stopped. There was so much blood."

I put my arm around her, pulling her close as I held Little One to my chest. Her crying had eased some, but she still whimpered. Her little hands had my scrub top in a steel grip, it seemed.

When Dad came back with a nurse, Bella stood up from the gurney and I kept Little One still in my lap. She tried to squirm and screamed as he applied the topical anesthetic first before injecting the lidocaine. She _hated_ every moment of it, and I hated having to hold her down. I couldn't even stand to watch as he did the sutures. Bella's hand was on my shoulder, gripping it tightly and offering me comfort. She looked so damn sorry, even though I told her over and over that it wasn't her fault.

I couldn't blame Bella for this because like I had said, Little One had almost bumped her head a few times with me on that coffee table. Needless to say, I was throwing the fucking thing out. Even with baby proofing, it still hurt Little One.

"All right, I'm done," Dad said, cutting the thread. He spread antibacterial ointment over the sutures and covered it with a bandage. "I used small thread and kept them close together, so hopefully the scar won't be too noticeable. She's young, so it should heal just fine."

I nodded, adjusting Little One so her head could lie on my shoulder. "Thank you, Dad."

He smiled. "You're welcome. Watch her closely tonight, all right? I'll get someone to cover the rest of your shift, so you can go home with her."

"I really appreciate it."

He rubbed Little One's back and kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry for upsetting you, precious girl. Next time you decide you'd like to stand, wait for your daddy or mommy."

"Thank you, Carlisle," Bella said.

"Of course, sweetheart," he said, hugging her. "Don't beat yourself up over this, okay? Accidents happen all the time, and truthfully, it could have been much worse."

. . . . .

Since I had the rest if the day off, I took Little One home with me as Bella drove her car. I didn't want to let the kid out of my sight, to be honest. By the time we got home and I had given her the children's Tylenol Dad had suggested, she was acting like nothing had happened.

"Is it safe for her to nap?" Bella asked as we bathed Little One in the sink, cleaning the dried blood off of her neck and chest.

I nodded, gently running the washcloth over her chest. "Yeah, but I think I want to keep her around us while she does, just in case."

Little One giggled and splashed the water, sending droplets all over us. "She's certainly acting like her normal self," Bella laughed. "You're our happy girl again, aren't you?"

"Dada!" she said, pressing her went hand against my shirt.

"Yes, I'm Dada," I chuckled, picking her up. I blew a raspberry on her belly, making her giggle my name over and over.

God, I loved the sound of that.

Once she was dried off and changed, Bella and I sat down on the couch with her, leaving the TV off. As Bella rubbed her belly softly, she sighed contentedly and slowly drifted off.

"I can't believe I let her get hurt," Bella said, frowning. "I always watch her so closely, and the one time I leave her on the floor, this happens. How do you not hate me?"

My brow furrowed. "I could never hate you, Bella. Now that she's trying to stand, we'll just have to watch her even more closely. That thing's getting thrown out on trash day, though." I nodded to the table.

She smiled a little, nodding. "I've been considering a sledgehammer, actually."

I laughed, leaning down to kiss her. "I like the way you think. Its crime should be punishable by death, huh?"

"Yep. Nothing hurts our little girl and lives."

"Bubble wrap is still too much, right?" I asked, smirking.

She shrugged. "I think they sell it by the foot."

We laughed softly, and I moved my arm around her as she laid her head on my shoulder. We just sat there, watching Little One nap for an hour and a half. Even though I fucking hated that she had gotten hurt, Little One had pulled herself up on her own today. It was a huge step, and I _really_ wasn't ready for it. There would be more tumbles and probably a few bruises, but I'd have to let it happen.

Little One was getting older, and I had a feeling that I'd be getting grey hair because of it.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29: Feliz Navidad**

"I think we got her too many toys," I said, staring at the mountain of Christmas gifts for Little One that Bella and I had to wrap. "Oh, and clothes."

Bella laughed, and I was tapped on the head with rolls of wrapping paper before she sat down beside me. "I'll take blame for the clothes, but we both know the toys were all you," she said.

I smirked, remembering our trip to the toy store. Yeah, I may have had some fun there, actually. Bella wound up embarrassed by me because, you know, I _had_ to test some of the shit out for Little One. She wouldn't be able to use some of the toys right away — like the ladybug ride-on toy — but I highly doubted she'd care. There were tons of toys here that she could play with now.

I went a little overboard, but it was her first Christmas, after all.

"So, where the hell do we start?" I asked.

Bella bit her lip, thinking as she surveyed the pile. "The big toys first, I guess. We can put the clothes and smaller ones a few to a box. You know she's probably only going to care about the paper and bows, right?"

I laughed. "Knowing her, yeah."

I fucking sucked at wrapping, but thankfully, Little One wouldn't care about presentation. I was honestly looking forward to Christmas morning and helping her tear at the wrapping paper as she squealed in delight.

When we had taken her to see Santa at the hospital a few days ago, she decided that, like Charlie's mustache, Santa's beard needed to be pulled. The kid wasn't really afraid of strangers, like most babies were. She soaked up the attention they gave her, and Santa — or Tom, one of the orderlies — gave her plenty. It was hilarious as she babbled, making conversation with him. She waved as we left and yelled bye — her newest word.

Bella and I finished wrapping at one in the morning, and then put the gifts back in the closet out of sight. When she got in bed with me, I rolled over and pinned her down as my lips grazed over her neck, kissing her softly. We hadn't had much time together recently. I was back on night shifts one week out of the month, and her month had been filled with getting the kids in her class ready for some play. By the time she had been getting home and everything done around here, she was exhausted. Last week we were at Charlie's, helping him set up his tree since it was always something he and Bella had done together, so I missed being with her.

"I love you, Nibbles," I said, smirking as I pulled back and noticed her lip between her teeth.

She blushed, smiling. "I love you, too."

I kissed her lips, moving my hand up her top to her breast. She moaned, arching into my touch as I ran my thumb over her nipple. "I've missed you so fucking much," I whispered.

She placed her hands against my face, pulling me back to her eagerly. Apparently, she missed me, too. In a matter of moments, our clothes were off and I was parting her legs, thrusting my hips into hers. Her fingers dug into my back as she moaned for me to go faster, deeper.

Her body was perfect in every way, and I fucking _loved_ the feel of her wrapped around me. It wasn't slow and romantic, but being together was so damn perfect. It didn't take long for her to come as my fingers rubbed her clit, and I wasn't far behind her.

She fell onto my chest, panting softly as I caressed her lower back. "I wish you didn't have to work tomorrow," she said. "We could just stay up all night, doing this." She lifted her head, and I found a beautiful smirk.

"I should be sick," I said, faking a cough.

She laughed, moving her lips against mine. "Well, I'm not too tired yet."

I flipped her over, pinning her down again as I ran my lips along her neck. "Me either."

. . . . .

Even though I had Christmas off, I had to work until midnight on Christmas eve. It. Sucked. Ass. We were completely dead and all the patients on the surgical floor were stable, so I had to go down and work in the ER. Normally, I wouldn't have minded it, but I missed spending the evening with Bella and Little One, even though my kid didn't know it was Christmastime.

Plus, the holidays seemed to bring out the drunks, so I had my hands full trying to stitch up some moron's head that didn't know what the fuck was going on. Yeah, I _really_ wished I was at home.

"All right, I'm done," I said, pulling off my gloves and tossing them on the tray. "Let him sober up, and then get him out of here."

The nurse nodded. "Of course, Dr. Cullen."

I left the exam room for the nurses' station, finding cookies on the counter. Well, that helped a little. But they weren't Bella's, which were currently sitting in my kitchen. After writing up my orders and downing a cookie, I ran my hands over my face and sighed.

"It's different when you have a family at home waiting for you, isn't it?" Siobhan, one of the veteran nurses said. She had been here for . . . fuck, since I was a kid. "You were fine with working last Christmas."

I shrugged. "I miss my kid, I guess. I mean, she's probably asleep by now, but Bella was going to turn on _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer_ for her. I'm sure she laughed and clapped at the songs, even though she couldn't understand it."

She smiled, grabbing the cookie tin and handing it to me. "I'm sorry, kiddo."

"What about you? Are you here all night?"

"Yes, I am." She nodded. "My daughter and her little boy are spending Christmas with her in-laws, so it's not like I'm missing anything."

I knew her husband had died a few years ago, and I felt bad for her. She had always been so nice to me when I was younger and would come watch my dad work. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Besides, this way the younger nurses can spend time with their families. What time do you get out of here?"

I looked at my watch. "Midnight, so I only have two hours left."

"Well, that's good. You'll be there to help . . . Sofia, right?" she asked and I nodded. "You'll be there to help Sofia unwrap presents."

I laughed, remembering the pile. "We kind of spoiled her. It'll probably take a while for her to get through them, and then we still have to go to my parent's house tomorrow evening. Hey, have you seen her?"

She nodded. "Your dad brought her down a while back, but I'd love to see her again."

I took out my phone and showed off all the pictures and even videos I had of Little One. Siobhan loved them and laughed at me for some of the videos. While I was showing her, I got a text from Bella of Little One in her Christmas onesie — that Bella picked out, of course. She looked so fucking adorable in the Rudolph jumpsuit.

Eventually, the radio signaled an incoming patient, and I finally got to do something worthwhile. When I helped pull the stretch from the back of the ambulance, I realized it was a kid. A teenage girl who was hit by a drunk driver. I was never really one to be affected by my patients. I fucking hated losing them, but . . . this was different.

"Vitals?" I asked as we moved her through the hall toward one of the trauma room. They were called out and they weren't good.

"Owww," the girl cried, lifting her hand up.

I put my hand over hers, lowering it back down. "You're going to be all right," I said, running my thumb over the top of her hand. "I'm Dr. Cullen, and you're at Olympic Medical Center."

We got her into the trauma room and moved her over. We worked quickly, getting her on our monitors as I checked her over. She had a compound fracture to her tibia and what looked like internal bleeding — probably in her abdomen. Suddenly, she lost consciousness and the monitor signaled ventricular fibrillation.

Adrenaline coursed through me as I ran the code. After defibrillation her, I managed to get her back, but she was circling the drain.

"Call up for an OR _now_ ," I ordered, taking the portable ultrasound from a nurse and running the wand over the girl's abdomen. "Has anyone called her parents?"

"Yes, and her name's Bree," Siobhan said. "They're on their way."

I looked at the small screen, finding a large amount of blood in her upper left abdomen — spleen, it seemed. I'd have preferred a CT scan to confirm, but there wasn't time. Once we got the okay that the OR was ready, we took her straight up. I started her on a blood transfusion and other medications, but I had to open her up quickly to stop the bleeding, or she'd die.

It was fucking Christmas, and I wasn't letting that happen. She was a kid, for Christ's sake . . . like _my_ kid.

I wound up in the OR for four hours, trying to repair all the damage the girl had sustained. I removed her spleen, repaired a liver laceration, and stitched up the multiple lacerations from the glass. I even stayed and helped as the orthopedic surgeon set her broken leg. She was honestly lucky to be alive, and I seriously prayed she'd stay that way.

After getting her situated in the ICU, I checked my phone and found it to be three in the morning. I had a missed text from Bella, asking where I was, so I texted back that'd I'd be home soon before going to find the girl's parent's.

I opened the door and pulled my scrub cap off, finding them alone in the room. The father held the mother close and it was clear they had been crying. Jesus Christ, this sucked, but at least I had good news.

"Mr. and Mrs. Tanner?" I asked as their heads shot up. "I'm Dr. Cullen."

I shook their hands before sitting down next to them. "Is she . . .?" Mrs. Tanner asked.

I shook my head and smiled. "No, she's in recovery. Her injuries are severe, but the fact that she made it through surgery is a very good sign. There are some things we need to go over before you can see her, all right?"

They nodded, and Mr. Tanner said, "But she's going to survive, right?"

"I believe so, yes. Like I said, though, her injuries were severe."

I went on to recount what had happen when their daughter was brought in and what I did in surgery. After answering their questions — most of which were that we'd have to wait and see — I took them back to the ICU.

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen," Mrs. Tanner said, throwing her arms around my neck. "You saved her life . . . it's a miracle."

I lightly patted her back before she returned to her husband. They went into the room, and I left them alone to go fill out the paperwork. By the time I left the hospital, it was almost six, and I was dead tired. But I felt good, too. I mean, I saved that girl's life. Her parents wouldn't remember Christmas as the day they lost their daughter.

. . . . .

When I got home, I went into Little One's room and found her sitting up in her crib. She smiled and put her hands out when she saw me, saying, "Dada."

I picked her up and held her close as I kissed her cheek. "You're never driving, Little One," I said, going to change her diaper since it was wet. Once I was done, I brought her over to the rocking chair and sat down. "Daddy's sorry he missed Christmas Eve, but he saved a girl's life tonight. Yeah, I did. And you know what? I thought about you. She was a kid. I mean, she was much older than you, but she was someone's little one, like you're mine."

She put her hands in my hair, laying her head on my shoulder as I patted her back. I heard her little yawn and smiled.

"Merry Christmas . . . I know you don't know what that means, but it's a special time of year. You get presents," I laughed softly. "We spend it with our family and let each other know that we love them. At least, that's how my mom explained it to me. You know how much you mean to me, right? You're everything to me and Mommy."

I looked up to find Bella in the doorway, smiling as she watched us. Little One was out cold again, so I stood up and laid her back down before wrapping my arm around Bella.

"I'm sorry I was late and didn't call," I said, kissing her.

"I heard." She lifted the baby monitor with a smirk.

"Well, at least this time I wasn't planning a surprise," I chuckled.

"Let's go to bed. Maybe she'll sleep for a few more hours."

I nodded, leaning down to kiss her once more before we walked across the hall. I kicked my shoes off and threw my scrub top into the laundry basket before laying down with her in bed. I pulled her close, wrapping my arms around her as she laid her head on my chest.

"Rough night?" she asked, kissing my chest.

"Yeah, but it turned out as well as it could. It just sucked, you know? Christmas Eve and this sixteen year old gets hit by a drunk driver. Sometimes, I honestly fucking hate people."

"It's tragic, but at least you saved her life. I'm sure that's all her parents really care about right now."

I nodded. "Her mom called it a miracle. I really don't think I'd go that far, though."

She looked up at me and smiled. "You performed a Christmas miracle."

I pulled her back down and kissed the top of her head. "We're not calling it that."

"Well, I'm still proud of you. I'm glad you were there, even though we missed you."

"Me too. Now, I'm exhausted. Let's hope Little One doesn't decide to wake up in an hour, okay? Maybe she'll give me three . . . or four if she really loves me," I laughed.

"I love you." She lifted up again and kissed me. "Merry Christmas."

"I love you, too. Merry Christmas, beautiful."

. . . . .

Bella ensured my four hours of sleep by waking up with Little One. Besides, it wasn't like Little One knew she didn't get to open presents until almost eleven. Once I had a good amount of coffee in me, Bella took her to get dressed as I pulled the gifts out of the closet and put them under the tree we had decorated together.

"All right, we're good!" I called out, looking over the pile. Holy shit, we were going to be doing this for a while.

Bella came out into the living room with Little One, who was wearing a red dress. When Sofia looked at the shiny wrapping paper of the gifts, she smiled as her eyes grew wide. She may not have known what gifts were, but she fucking loved shiny things.

"This is all for you, sweet girl," Bella said, kissing her cheek. "It's Christmas!"

I held my hands out, and she passed Little One over so I could kiss her. We settled down on the floor and started with the biggest gift — a new play gym. I lifted up one end of the paper, and she grabbed it, helping me tear it off. I did most of the work while she played with the bows on the gifts.

We opened them all, but like we suspected, she preferred to play with the paper and bows and seemed uninterested in any of the toys. Bella took a shit load of pictures, of course, as Little One giggled and played, throwing the scraps in the air.

Eventually, she got bored, though, and I was quick to hand her one of her new toys. "Momma!" she said, handing Bella the toy.

Bella's face lit up as she took it, like it had every time Little One said it to her. It hadn't happened much, and only with me saying it first, so this was perfect. I just . . . I loved hearing her say it, probably as much as Bella did. We were a family, even if it wasn't legal yet. Maybe someday, though.

"But it's your toy, Sofia," Bella said, grinning from ear to ear. "Let's play with it together, okay?"

Bella helped her roll the toy car along the floor as I took over pictures. It didn't take long for Little One to move onto one of her other new toys, and then she got bored of those fast, too. After two hours of unwrapping and playing, I put Little One down for her nap, and then helped Bella clean up the mess.

"Hey, is it time for our gifts yet?" I asked, trying the trash bag of paper.

Bella smiled, nodding. "I couldn't wait for you to say that. I'll be right back."

As she headed into the bedroom, I grabbed the last box I had kept in the back of the hallway closet out. I swear to God, I actually came up with this on my own and it wasn't jewelry. Shocking, I know. When Bella came back, she sat down on the couch with me and passed me a small, flat box as I passed her mine.

"You first," she said, smirking. "Don't argue with me."

I laughed and tore through the paper, pulling the lid off of the white box underneath.

"You know, it's really hard to shop for you," she said. "So, I didn't."

I moved the tissues paper and found a picture frame. There wasn't a picture in it, though. Instead, there were a set of hand and footprints.

"I know they're not her newborn prints or anything, but I thought you might still like this," she said.

I smiled, running my fingers over the glass. "I love it, Bella. It's perfect."

"Yeah?"

I looked up and nodded. "Yes. I think it's . . . an amazing and thoughtful gift."

She smiled as I moved to kiss her softly. "Sofia wasn't a fan of sitting still so I could do this," she laughed. "She smudged the first two, actually."

I chuckled. "I believe that. Thank you for this. I love you."

"I love you, too, and you're very welcome. I know it's not much, but I really didn't know what to get you. I thought you could hang this in the bedroom or something."

"I will." I nodded. "Now, it's your turn. I'm pretty proud of myself, by the way. I didn't ask my mom."

She ran her hands over the medium size gift box, laughing softly as she carefully opened the paper. "I'm sure it's wonderful."

Once the paper was off, she looked at the box. "It's a willow tree figurine," I said. "I saw it and instantly thought of you. You like this kind of stuff, right?"

She smiled, nodding as she opened the box and pulled the figurine out. It was a mother holding a baby . . . Bellaholding Sofia, in my mind. Maybe it was lame, but it just reminded me of them. "I love it," she said, gently brushing her finger tips over it.

"I know it isn't much, but I guess I wanted to give you something that reminded me of you and Sofia. I say it all the time . . . that you're her mom, but this shows it. It's lame, isn't it?"

She shook her head, lifting her eyes to mine. They had tears in them. "It's not lame. It's meaningful. I honestly didn't expect something like this from you," she laughed softly.

"What? Something with actual meaning?" I chuckled.

She shrugged. "I know your gifts have meaning, but this . . . it means so much more than a piece of jewelry. I love it, Edward. Thank you."

She laid the box and figurine beside her before wrapping her arms around my neck, holding me tightly. "Merry Christmas, Bella."

. . . . .

"So, you're sure your parents don't mind me coming?" Charlie asked, sitting next to me as I drove to my parents' house.

Since Bella wanted to spend Christmas with her dad and we had already told my parents we'd come to their house, an invitation was quickly extended to Charlie. He hadn't met my parents before, but to be honest, I wasn't really nervous, but I fucking prayed they got along. I mean, Bella and I planned to spend the rest of our lives together, so I _really_ needed them to.

"Of course not," I said. " They're excited to meet you."

Mom was thrilled with the idea, actually. She couldn't wait to meet Bella's father. She was already calling him family, even. I was just worried she'd be a little much for Charlie. She was the sweetest woman in the world, but she could come on pretty strong.

"Oh . . . good," he said, pulling at the tie around his neck.

Yeah, the dude was _actually_ wearing a tie. It looked a little weird to me, but I guess he just wanted to look good? I wasn't sure, but I about laughed when I saw it earlier. Since he didn't know where they lived and my parent's house was so fucking hard to find, he met us at the apartment and just rode with us.

Little One clearly remembered him from the two times they had met. Well, she remembered the pornstache at least. She quickly put her arms out for him when he came into the apartment and had been attached to him as we waited for Bella to get ready. Charlie seemed to have warmed up to the idea of Bella as a mother. Then again, it _was_ Little One, so it wasn't like he could resist. He played with her the whole time we waited for Bella, bouncing her on his knee as she giggled and babbled.

"Well, this is it," I said, stopping the SUV in front of my parent's house. Mom took Christmas seriously, so the house was lit up with a billion white lights and a massive wreath on the door. There were even fake reindeer in the yard. Not kidding.

Charlie mumbled something along the lines of "holy shit" as he took in the big house. I was suddenly worried that he'd think my parents were some stuck up, obnoxious assholes. I mean, I could understand why, but they were the complete opposite of that.

"Carlisle and Esme are great, Dad," Bella said, stepping out of a car with him as I grabbed Little One's car seat and the diaper bag. "They're some of the nicest people in the world, and I think you'll like them."

Charlie nodded. "I'm sure they are, Bells. As long as they're good to you, I'll like them."

Once we walked into the house, Mom and Dad were quick to greet us. I was actually a little proud of Mom for not hugging Charlie right off the bat. The introductions seemed to go well, and Charlie passed my dad the bottle of wine he brought.

"I hope it's good," Charlie said.

Dad smiled, patting his shoulder. "Looks great. Thank you."

"Dinner isn't quite ready, so why don't you go with Carlisle into the den?" Mom asked, taking the wine. "They're watching some football game, I believe."

Charlie nodded and followed Dad into the den — where I heard Emmett suddenly cheer — as I followed Mom and Bella into the kitchen with Little One. I wanted to go ahead and give her the mush she liked so much, so I could eat like a normal person for once.

"I'd like to say Sofia helped me make the pies, but she was preoccupied with throwing cheerios," Bella laughed, putting the pies she made in the fridge.

"Ha!" Rosalie laughed, flipping through a magazine as she sat at the counter. "Did you step on them? Because Ben likes to throw them where he just _knows_ I'll step on them."

"Oh, yes, it was a mess!" she said. "I made Edward clean it up, though."

I put Little One down in the high chair and opened her disgusting food up. "Sofia's decided _everything_ needs to be thrown," I said. "Bella lost an ornament that way."

Mom came over and kissed Sofia's cheek as she laughed. "I'm going to enjoy these stories, sweet girl. Your daddy deserves all of it for what he put me through."

"Thanks, Mom," I said, rolling my eyes as I spooned out a glob of the goop for Little One.

She was finished just as dinner was ready, so we headed into the dining room. Rosalie had a playpen set up for Ben in there, so I just sat Little One in it with him. He was big for a nineteen month old, so I watched them closely in case he hurt her. He didn't, of course. Instead, he actually shared his toys with her. She wasn't too keen on sharing with him, though. He just brushed it off and picked up another one.

Obviously, he was more like Emmett.

The conversation flowed easily between Charlie and my parents. They seemed to be getting along fine, but I noticed Charlie wasn't very talkative. But that was just how he was, I guess. Still, something didn't seem quite right. He kept pulling at his tie around his neck, loosening the knot. He seemed . . . paler, too. Odd.

"This is delicious, Esme," he said, smiling somewhat. "Thank you again for inviting me."

Mom grinned. "Of course! We just love Bella. She's such a sweetheart, and we're so happy to finally meet you."

"Thank you, Esme," Bella said, blushing as Little One started wailing. "I'm done, so I'll get her, Edward."

She leaned down, kissing me before grabbing Sofia out of the playpen. "Thanks."

Once we had finished dinner, we had dessert and then headed into the living room for a while. I got on the floor with Ben and Little One, playing with them both. It had been a nice evening, and I was really fucking happy that my parents and Charlie got along. I actually kind of liked the whole 'family get together' thing for once. It was nice.

Also, Rosalie hadn't been a bitch. Total bonus.

. . . . .

"Hey, we're about to open gifts," I said, walking into the kitchen where Charlie went. "Did you find the Tums?"

He looked up at me, and I noticed he was sweating and even paler. "I, um . . ."

I walked over to where he was, gripping the counter for support. "Charlie? Are you okay?"

He shook his head. "Just . . . uh, help me sit down?"

My eyes grew wide with worry. Shit, he _really_ didn't look good. He had said he had heartburn, so Mom told him where to find the Tums, but this didn't look like _just_ heartburn. I put my arm around him, and he slowly walked with me over to one of the chairs. Once he was sat down, I pressed my fingers to his neck. Fuck, his pulse was racing. "Dad!" I yelled. "Charlie, are you having chest pains?"

He nodded. "Heartburn."

"Do you have any heart conditions? Are you taking anything?"

He shook his head. "My, uh . . . arm hurts, Edward."

"Son, what's going on?" Dad asked, coming into the kitchen.

"Get aspirin and call 911 . . . I think he's having a heart attack."

Charlie let his head fall back as I watched him pant — shortness of breath. Fuck, another symptom. Dad hurried to the cabinet, grabbing the bottle out before coming back over to us as he yelled for Emmett.

"Charlie, I need you to chew this, all right?" Dad asked, pushing the pills into his mouth.

The door swung open again, but it wasn't just Emmett who came through. Everyone fucking piled into the kitchen as Dad barked orders for someone to call an ambulance and to get out. I checked Charlie's pulse again, finding it to be the same as he chewed the pills. Goddamn it. He had probably been in pain all evening, which was why he seemed off. I should have fucking realized it.

"Daddy!" Bella said as Mom pulled on her arm, stopping her from coming closer. She held Little One to her chest and looked down right terrified.

"Bella, he'll be fine," I said, praying I wasn't lying. "Take Sofia into the other room, okay? Get your coat on."

"I-I can't . . . breathe," Charlie mumbled, reaching out and grabbing my arm. Suddenly, he slumped to the side, losing consciousness as Dad and I lowered him to the floor.

My hands were over his sternum before I could even think, starting compressions as protocol ran through my mind. Shit, this wasn't happening. It . . . it couldn't be.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30: Falling into Place**

As I walked toward the waiting room, I tried to wrap my head around everything. One minute, everything was fine and we were about to open gifts, and then the next, I was performing chest compressions on Charlie. Bella's dad had a _heart attack_. A fucking heart attack on Christmas.

It just . . . it didn't seem real.

The moment I opened the door to the waiting room, Bella's head shot up. Her eyes were red and cheeks stained with tears as she clutched my mom's hand. "Edward?" she whispered, choking back a sob.

"He's on his way to the cath lab," I said, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands. "He's stabilized, but we don't know what kind of damage has been done to his heart. He's alive, Bella, and right now, that's what matters."

She threw her arms around my neck, holding onto me for dear life as she cried. I rubbed her back softly, kissing her cheek. "Daddy," she cried.

"He's going to be okay," I said. Fuck, I didn't _know_ if he would be. He had a damn heart attack. If the cardiologist here couldn't open the blocked artery with angioplasty, then he'd be airlifted to Seattle for coronary artery bypass surgery. We just didn't have the resources for that. "It's okay, Bella."

Mom moved over on the couch and let me sit next to Bella, holding her to my chest as she calmed down. Once her sobs had eased, she asked, "What are they doing to him? Is your dad still with him?"

I nodded, running my hand through her hair. "Yeah, he's in the cath lab with him, but he's not doing the procedure. The cardiologist, Dr. Jones, is using a special x-ray and dye to look at his arteries, seeing if he can open the blockage with a balloon. If he can, he might put a stent in to hold it open, but there's a chance that the blockage may be too severe. If that's the case, they'll airlift him to Seattle for bypass surgery. Hopefully, it can be fixed in the cath lab. In the ER, they gave him some medications for his heart, which stabilized him for the time being."

"Could he die?"

"Um . . . I—"

"Let's not think like that, Bella," Mom said, reaching over and patting her leg. "He's in good hands."

I nodded. "Honestly, he's lucky he was with us. Treatment was started quickly."

"Oh God, what if he had been alone?" she cried. "He could be dead right now, and I wouldn't know. _This_ is why I shouldn't have left him. I can't lose him like I lost my mom."

I held her closer as she continued to cry for a good while. While we waited to hear something, I got her coffee and called Rosalie to see how Little One was doing. When the ambulance had arrived, I'd with Charlie as Dad drove Bella and my mom, leaving Sofia with my sister and Emmett at my parent's house.

"Any news?" Rosalie asked after picking up.

I sighed, putting the lids on the coffee cups. "No, he's still in the cath lab. How's Sofia doing? Is she asleep?"

"Not yet. Emmett's giving her a bottle now. She's been fussy, and so has Ben."

"I'm sorry. If you can't get her to calm down and go to sleep, grab one of Mom's crappy books and read to her. Bella does that with hers and it works."

She laughed softly. "Crappy romance, huh?"

"Works every time. Don't ask me why."

"How's Bella?"

I slumped into one of the chairs in the lounge and ran my hand over my face. "A mess, of course. Mom's with her right now while I grab coffee. It's going to be a long night, especially if they have to transfer him. Bella will want to go to Seattle right away."

"Well, he's in my thoughts. He seems like a strong guy."

I nodded to myself. "Yeah, he is. I better get back. Call me if you need anything . . . and thanks, Rosalie."

"Don't worry about. Let me know what you find out."

After hanging up, I grabbed the three cups of coffee and walked back to the waiting room. Bella was now in the center of the couch, and Mom had her arm around her, talking to her softly. Mom had been great from the start of this, staying with Bella the whole time and telling her that Charlie would be okay. It made me realize that Bella truly was a part of this family. They welcomed her with open arms.

I passed them their cups and sat down again, taking Bella's hand. "It seems like this is taking a while," she said. "How much longer until we know something?"

I looked at my watch, finding an hour to have passed. "We should know something soon."

"I guess no news is good news," she sighed, laying her head against my arm. "God, I hope he's okay."

"He will be, Nibbles," I said, and for the first time since this started, Bella's lips curled into a small smile. I _knew_ she secretly liked her nickname.

We just sat there, silently, for another half hour before Dad and Dr. Jones came into the waiting room. Their expressions revealed nothing, and Bella's hand tightened in mine as she said, "He's alive, right? Please? He has to be."

Dad nodded, pulling a chair over and sitting down near Mom. "He is," he said.

Dr. Jones went on to explain that the blockage was severe, but with the medications given and placing stents in Charlie's blocked coronary arteries, he believed he'd be all right, and that right now, bypass surgery wasn't necessary, but it could be someday.

"He was very lucky, Bella," Dad said. "Treatment was started quickly, which minimized the damage to his heart. That's not to say he's out of the woods, though. He's being monitored closely in the ICU and if we feel he's in any danger, we'll transfer him to Seattle."

She nodded, sniffling. "But you think he's going to be okay, right?"

"I believe so, yes," Dr. Jones said. "But this is a wake-up call. He needs to change his diet and lifestyle to prevent more blockages. If this happens again, he may not be so lucky and could have a massive heart attack."

"I'll make sure he follows whatever he has to."

"Good. Anymore questions?"

Bella went on to ask everything she could think of, and then turned to me and asked if there was anything she missed. Once she had all the answers Dr. Jones and Dad could give, we waited until we got word that Charlie was settled in the ICU before heading up there.

It was just Bella and me, and I held her hand tightly as she squeezed mine, trying to compose herself. "You saved his life," she whispered as we rode the elevator.

"No, I didn't. Dr. Jones did."

She shook her head. "It was your hands on his chest, Edward, not your dad's or Emmett's. I saw you basically jump on him, not letting him go a second without blood pumping through his body. Dr. Jones may have fixed the blockage, but _you_ saved his life by doing that. I . . . I was frozen, but you just _reacted._ Thank you."

I pulled her into my chest, kissing her forehead as I held her tightly. "I'm sorry you're going through this, but you're not alone. I'm here, Bella."

She nodded. "I know, and I can't even explain how much it means to me to have you."

When the doors opened, I led her down the hall and into the ICU to the room Charlie was in. It was ten at night and visiting hours were technically over, but with Dad's position and me being a surgeon here, an exception was made so that Bella could be with her father as long as she wanted.

When I slid open the glass door, I felt Bella fall into me, holding me even tighter as she gasped. _That_ was her dad on that bed, not just another patient. Fuck, it was even hard for _me_ to see, so I couldn't imagine how she felt. I led her over to the bed and pulled the chair closer for her, helping her sit down.

She took his hand on top of the blanket and squeezed. "Daddy," she whispered, beginning to cry once more as I looked over at the monitor, checking his vitals.

They were decent, but could have been better. I looked down _at_ him finally, noting his color wasn't much better. He was on oxygen, of course, and had the usual wires and IV lines attached. I had seen this before — more times than I could count, actually — but it just seemed . . . different.

"Please, don't die," Bella said, wiping her tears. "You can't. You promised you'd never leave me, remember? When I was four? You said I'd never be alone again, like I was after Mom died. _Why_ didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well?"

He was sound asleep, so he couldn't respond, but I wanted to know that, too. He was in a house full of doctors, for Christ's sake. One mention of the symptoms he was having and we would have known. He wouldn't have about fucking died on my parent's floor. Bella wouldn't be here, bawling her eyes out and begging him not to die.

That honestly made me angry. I couldn't handle seeing her like this. She had always been so strong with me, but right now, she was a daughter, crying for her dad. I pulled another chair over and took her free hand again, offering silent support.

What the hell could I say that hadn't already been said? Dr. Jones and Dad were adamant that he'd be all right and that this weren't as serious as it could have been, but to her, this was one of the worst things that could happen. Massive heart attack or not, it was fucking serious.

"I love you, Daddy," she said, laying her head down on the edge of the bed.

. . . . .

Bella and I spent the night in Charlie's room. Dad and Mom had left around eleven, though Dad would be back in the morning to check on Charlie. I gave Mom our apartment keys to get some clothes and things for Little One, since I couldn't leave Bella right now. She said not to worry about Sofia tonight, but I did, of course.

Right now, though, _she_ didn't need me. Bella did. Mom would take care of her tonight, and then I'd figure something out tomorrow.

Charlie didn't really wake up in the middle of the night, which wasn't unusual. After all he had been through, he needed rest. He did groan a few times, moving slightly in his sleep. Bella's head would shoot up, watching him intently each time.

Around three, she finally drifted to sleep in the chair, and I put a blanket over her, lifting her feet onto the bed so that she wasn't as uncomfortable. I'd have to see about getting a more comfortable chair for her. Unlike her, I couldn't fucking sleep worth shit, even though I was exhausted. I was constantly checking Charlie's vitals and speaking to his nurse whenever she came in.

Everything seemed to be fine, and even though I was exhausted, I couldn't sleep no matter how hard I tried. Eventually, I got up and walked out of the room, just needing to clear my head. When I walked past one ICU room — the room my patient that I saved last night was in — I heard crying.

Well, that wasn't good.

"Shouldn't you check on her?" I asked, turning to the nurse who was sitting at her desk.

"I did, and she just wants to be left alone," she said. "I think she's having issues dealing with it, you know?"

"How's she doing? Physically, I mean. May I have her chart?"

"You're not working, though."

I sighed, running my hand through my hair. "Yeah, I know, but she's my patient. My name's on her chart."

She grabbed it out of the holder, passing it over the counter to me. "Here you go, but if you go in there, she's probably going to tell you to get the fuck out. Little girl's got a mouth on her."

"Seems like my kind of girl then," I chuckled softly.

I flipped open her chart, looking over her lab results and notes. She was doing pretty well for twenty-four hours post-op. Great, actually. She was young and healthy, though, so that helped her along.

Closing the chart, the walked across the hall and pulled the sliding glass door open the rest of the way. The room was dim, but Bree had the small light above her head on. Fuck, she looked . . . _terrible_ because of her injuries. The left side of her face had been cut up badly from glass shards, so I had put over thirty sutures there alone. The bruising was now obvious, leaving her looking like she had gone a few rounds with Mike Tyson.

"Bree, are you all right?" I asked.

She looked over at me, lifting her hand to gently wipe her tears. "Go away," she said.

I took a few more steps in. "Do you recognize me? I'm Dr. Cullen, and I treated you last night."

"I'm fine, okay? I don't need a doctor right now."

"I didn't say you did. You're crying, and I don't like when my patients cry. Anyway, I just . . . figured I'd come check on you."

She sniffled, lowering her eyes to the blanket over her lap. "I'm in pain and I'm mutilated. I'm already on meds, so you can't help with the pain, and _you're_ the one who butchered my stomach, so I don't think you can do anything about that, either."

"That incision is perfect, thank you very much." I smirked, trying to lighten the mood.

Her lips curled up slightly. "I'd disagree."

I pulled a chair closer, sitting down beside her. "Well, it is. It'll heal beautifully because I'm amazing."

She looked at me incredulously. "Wow, you're cocky."

I laughed. "So I've been told. And as for pain, you're on a morphine drip, so I can't give you anything better. Have you pressed the button?"

She shook her head. "Last time I did that, I was asleep for seven hours."

"You need to be sleeping, so you should probably press it."

"I just . . . I don't know. I'm pissed off, I guess. I'm so fucking angry."

I nodded. "Of course you are."

I would be too if some drunk bastard ran a red light and hit me.

"I know I should be thankful that I'm alive, but . . . look at me," she cried. "I was pretty, and now my face is hideous."

I put my hand over hers, questioning myself as I did it. She was crying, and I fucking hated that. "You're not hideous. You're beautiful. I'd like to say that you won't have any scars, but . . . I can't. But, there are creams to reduce the scars."

"And my leg! I was a runner, Dr. Cullen. I need a scholarship in track and field to go to college, and now I have fucking screws and plates holding it together. I-I . . . w-why?"

Her heart monitor beeped quicker as she sobbed. Honestly, I didn't know what the hell to say except, "I'm sorry" and "I don't know why" but that really wasn't worth much. So, I just sat there, holding her hand.

"I _hate_ him," she said after a few moments. "That asshole walked away with barely a scratch, but not me."

"He'll be punished."

She wiped her tears, looking back up at me. "You can go. I know you have to work."

"No, I'm not working tonight. My girlfriend's father had a heart attack this evening, so I'm here with them."

"Is he going to be okay?"

I nodded. "I believe so. It was just . . . shocking. He's not that old and it fucking happened on Christmas."

"That . . . blows. I'm sorry."

I smiled softly, pulling my hand away. "I guess it was a pretty shitty Christmas, huh?"

"Seriously. I, um . . . I think I'm going to press the button now. Thanks for listening to me."

"You're welcome. I'll check on you tomorrow."

. . . . .

When I got back to Charlie's room, Bella was still asleep, as was Charlie. I sat back down, dozing off for a while. I was woken up by Bella, shaking my shoulder at seven in the morning. She had coffee in her hand for me, smiling softly.

"Hey, how's Charlie?" I asked.

She shrugged as I took the cup. "Still asleep, but he's been groaning, so maybe he's waking up soon?"

I nodded. "Probably. How are you?"

She sat back down in her chair, sighing. "I don't know. I think I'm all cried out. I'm just scared for him, you know? He's going to have to change his lifestyle, and he _hates_ change. I'm afraid he won't, and then I'll lose him."

I took her hand, lifting it to my lips. "He'll change, Bella."

"Change?" Charlie mumbled, turning his head toward us. "Wha-what's going on? Where am I?"

I scooted closer as Bella leapt from her seat, throwing her arms over him as he groaned in pain. "Daddy! Oh, God."

"Shh, Bells. It's all right."

She pulled back, but then hugged him again. "You had a heart attack, Daddy," she said, sitting back down and holding his hand. "You almost _died_. Edward had to give you CPR."

He looked past her to me. "Thank you, son. Just . . . thank you."

I smiled, nodding. "Of course. You scared the hell out of us, Charlie."

I went on to tell him what all had been done and what Dr. Jones had said — how he was lucky that the blockage wasn't too severe. He accepted the news solemnly, listening intently as I explained what I could.

"You _have_ to change, Dad," Bella said. "Eat better, exercise, and take the medications the doctor prescribes. If you don't, you could need heart surgery or even _die_. I can't lose you like I lost Mom. Please, do what they say."

He lifted his hand, running his thumb over her cheek. "I will, Bells. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

She smiled as he wiped her tears away. "Good, and I'll move back in for as long as you need me to. I'll take care of you and teach you how to cook."

What? Did she . . . did she realize what the fuck she just said? Moving to Forks? I probably had a horrified look on my face because we hadn't talked about this. I mean, I realized she'd probably go stay with him for a week or two, but not _move_. What about her job? What about her life? _Our_ life?

Fuck, was I being selfish? Probably, but . . . I'd lose her, and I wasn't going to let that happen.

"You should rest, Charlie," I said. "Dr. Jones will be in later to explain more."

He nodded. "Sounds good. Bella, why don't you and Edward get out of here for a while? I think I'm being watched by enough people, and you need a break."

She stood up, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "Okay, but we'll be back soon. I love you."

"Love you, too. Thanks again, Edward, and tell your dad thanks."

I nodded. "Of course. I'm sure he'll be by later, too."

Bella and I left his room, holding hands. We decided to go to a diner across the street for breakfast. I was glad that her mood was better and she had stopped crying. Seriously. That fucking destroyed me.

Her beautiful eyes should never be that sad.

Honestly, I didn't know how the fuck this was going to work, but since I didn't want to be without her, I had to go for it. Once we sat down and ordered at the diner, I took her hand over the table and cleared my throat, briefly wondering if _this_ was actually a good idea.

"Even after your dad is better, you won't want to be this far from him," I said. "I mean, it's only forty-five minutes, but in an emergency, that'd seem like forever. So, I uh . . . think you should stay in Forks. Well, _we_ should. You, me, and Little One. Like, live there."

Her eyes widened as her mouth fell open. "Move to Forks? All of us?"

I nodded. "I can commute. I mean, when I'm on-call I'd have to stay here, but during the week I could commute. Or I could see about Forks Community Hospital. It's not . . . the biggest or anything, but I'm sure they could use a general surgeon. I don't know anything exactly yet, but I know you. I know your dad means the world to you, and after this, it'd kill you to be away from him. You'd be worried constantly. I might also be a little selfish in this, I guess. I love you, and I don't want to live without you, even just until he's back on his feet. I love you, and Sofia loves you, so I want us to be together. It's a big step, but—"

She stopped my rambling with a grin forming on her lips. "You'd move for me?"

"Well, yeah. I'd do anything for you."

"It's big, Edward. It's a big decision and rushing it really isn't a good idea."

"No, but we can talk about it. Charlie won't be released for a few more days, and I know you'll go home with him, but by then, we'll probably have reached a decision. My mind is made up on one thing, Bella, and that's that I don't want to be without you. I don't want Little One to be without you, either. We're a family now, remember?"

"We are, and I don't want to be without you either. But I would come back. It might be a while, but I'd be back."

"Maybe a new start is a good thing, though. I moved to Port Angeles because I didn't get the job I wanted and this one was here for me. Now, maybe I should make my own way. I'm not going to take over for my dad, so what's stopping me?"

"I'm just . . . overwhelmed right now. It seems so fast. You've made up your mind, it seems."

I shrugged. "Not really. There's a lot to think about, but I think this could be a good idea. A fresh start, just you, me, and Sofia."

"Your parents live here, though."

"True, but I'm not all they have, unlike your dad. Just think about it, okay?"

She smiled, squeezing my hand. "I don't have to. I'd love to move back to Forks. A job might be an issue, but I'll figure it out. I'm just worried about you wanting this. I mean _really_ wanting it, Edward. I _will_ come back if we don't move. I'd love to be closer to my dad, especially after this, but I'd be okay with staying here."

"We could buy a house. You know, one with a big backyard and a swing set for Little One." I smiled, seeing it in my mind.

"Is this a decision we should make this quickly? Really?"

"I didn't know I wanted this, but now that I'm picturing it in my mind, I can just _see_ it. Can't you?"

She nibbled on her lip, nodding. "Actually, yes. Just . . . one thing, okay?"

"Name it."

"Don't propose just yet," she laughed. "I think we've had enough life-changing things for one day."

I lifted her hand, kissing her knuckles. "My proposal won't be a spur of the moment thing. Trust me." I winked.

. . . . .

After going back to the hospital and spending more time with Charlie once Dr. Jones and Dad had arrived, I left to go see Little One. Dad let me take his car, and fuck, I'd give Tanya up for this. I probably shouldn't have been enjoying the Mercedes as much as I was, but after all the shit last night, pressing my foot on the accelerator a little harder than I should have felt pretty damn good.

It also got me to my parent's house in record time.

When I walked into the house, Mom and Little One were on the floor in the living room, playing. Mom was trying to teach her patty cake . . . and failing, since Little One wouldn't keep her hands up.

"Dada!" she squealed, crawling to me to close the gap.

I quickly picked her up, lifting her above me as she giggled. I lowered her to kiss her forehead, but then lifted her up again. She fucking loved that. "I've missed you, Little One," I said, walking over to the couch where Mom now was.

"Thanks," I said, kissing Mom's cheek. "How was she?"

"Pretty good, but she was still awake when your dad and I got back last night. I think she knew that something was going on. How's Charlie doing?"

I shrugged. "All right. He's no worse, and that's what matters. His O2 sats are still low, so they're keeping him on oxygen for the time being. Bella didn't want to leave, but I wanted to check on Sofia. I'll go back later with some clothes for her."

Since it was time for her bottle, I put Little One in the bouncer my parents had and went with Mom into the kitchen. We talked a little more about Charlie and the expectations Dr. Jones had, but when she asked about what was going to happen once he went home, I didn't know what to say.

I mean, it was basically decided that we'd move, but the timing hadn't been talked about. Also, I worried Mom would be upset about me leaving. Forks really wasn't that far, but it certainly wasn't a ten minute drive.

"Bella's going to stay with him for a little while," I said, checking the bottle temperature and finding it to be perfect.

"How long?" she asked, following me back into the living room.

"Um . . . I'm not entirely sure. A few weeks, at least."

I picked Sofia up, bringing her over to the couch and sitting her in my lap. She basically held the bottle by herself, with me just barely touching it.

"You're avoiding looking at me, Edward," Mom said.

Fuck, I was, so I glanced up. She had _that_ look. The one that told me she knew I was hiding something.

I sighed, sitting back. "I think . . . I mean, there's talk of Bella and me moving to Forks sometime soon. I kind of started the talk, actually. It's just that I know her, Mom. I know her dad was all she had growing up, and the thought of losing him kills her. Living so far away from him after this would just make her worry, you know?"

She surprised me by smiling. "Forks is about forty-five minutes away, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. You're not . . . upset?"

"Will I miss having you so close? Of course, but it's not like you're going back to New York. I think it could be good for you, but I still get to see you and my granddaughter often, right?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Then . . . I say do it, but only if you're sure. Do you _really_ want to make that kind of commitment to Bella?"

"More than anything."

She smiled, reaching up to caress my cheek. "Then do whatever you have to for her. You are going to marry her, right? Because it's not that I'm opposed to how you're living, but . . . I'd like to see my baby boy get married."

I laughed, nodding. "I want to marry her, and I already know when I want to ask her."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Nope, not yet, at least," I said, adjusting Little One in my lap, so that she had her back against my stomach. She just sat there, oblivious to anything but her formula.

"You know, I'm still amazed at how different you are. You're a dad and committed to the woman you love. There was a time when I thought that I'd lost the boy I raised."

My brow creased as I cocked my head. "Lost me?"

"Honey, I _hated_ knowing how you were. I've always loved you, but I didn't like how you were. Bella and Sofia have brought out the man I raised you to be. I want you to be happy, no matter what. And if moving will make you happy, then I _want_ you to. I'll help however you need me to."

"So you'll give Dad my resignation, if I can get a job in Forks?"

"Ha!" she laughed. "Oh, no, that's _all_ you, but I think he'll take it better than you think. He thought you might find another job after he decided he wanted to pass his job down to Emmett. By the way, I told him to tell you in private, just so you know."

"I doubt I'd have reacted any better, but thanks. I'm kind of glad I didn't get it now. It's funny how things I thought I wanted — just a few months ago, even — are things I'm fucking thrilled I don't have."

"Fu-gah," Little One said, pulling the bottle out of her mouth and looking up at me.

Shit.

And she had to do it in front of Mom, too.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31: Feeling the Distance**

"Are you kidding me?" I asked, holding the spoon up to Little One's pursed lips. "You like this!"

I was . . . fuck, I was frustrated to no end and had been since Bella left four days ago. We had started looking for a house in Forks, but still hadn't found one. I mean, it wasn't like we would have been able to move in before Charlie was released anyway, but I hadn't been prepared for her leaving. I knew it was coming, and we had a plan in place, but I just . . . missed her. And with how Little One was acting, I think she did, too.

"You have to eat, Little One," I said, laying the spoon down and picking up a Cheerio. "I miss her too, but acting like this won't help."

Apparently, Cheerios appealed to her, so she took it from my hand and put it in her mouth. It wasn't what I'd planned on giving her, but it'd work for now. While she sat in her highchair and munched on those, I rushed to get dressed, saving a shower for later at work since I didn't have time now. Things without Bella were different, and I quickly realized how much I had depended on her since she moved in a few months ago. She had been the one taking Sofia to daycare and picking her up, which meant Little One was away from home less time. Sofia was now there for over twelve, which I hated doing to her.

As I cleaned up the mess in the kitchen and downed another cup of coffee, my phone started ringing. I rushed to grab it, hoping it was Bella. I smiled when I saw it was. "Hello, Nibbles," I answered.

"Good morning to you, too," she laughed softly. "I know you don't have long, but I was hoping to catch you and Sofia. Can you put me on speaker phone?"

"Yep." I pulled the phone from my ear, going to sit in front of Little One again. "It's Mommy," I told her.

Her eyes went wide as she looked at me. "Momma?" she asked.

"Hi, sweetie!" Bella said. "Mommy misses you _so_ much, but I'll see you in two days, okay? I love you!"

"Luff!"

I chuckled at Sofia's excitement. It was debatable which words she truly understood, but I wanted to think she did mean that she loved us when she said that. Her vocabulary mostly consisted of just repeating certain words, but she definitely knew what a few meant.

Like "no," though she rarely listen to us when we said it.

"Bye, sweet girl," Bella said. "Mommy will see you soon."

I turned the speaker off, putting the phone back to my ear, holding it with my shoulder as I picked Little One up to put her in the car seat. "She would only eat Cheerios this morning after her formula," I said. "And she didn't eat much yesterday, either. I think it's her way of showing she knows you're not here and she isn't happy."

"I know, but I'll see you two this weekend," she said. "You're still coming down, right? I found a few houses that I want to show you."

"Yeah, we're leaving Friday night once I get off. Hopefully one of those will work because I'm so fu—freaking tired of this already. How's Charlie, by the way?"

"He's all right. Following orders and whatnot. Well, usually. He tried to get one of his friends to bring him a cheeseburger." She laughed. "I'm not sure he enjoys the bland food I've been cooking."

I chuckled, buckling Sofia in before making sure her diaper bag was good. "I could tell him what's involved in bypass surgery, if you'd like. Get some pictures together, too."

"I'm not sure a scare tactic would work out too well for you. He's better than I thought he'd be, so that's good."

"Well, I hope he doesn't give you too much trouble. I miss you."

She sighed. "I miss you, too."

"I have to take Little One to daycare and get to work, but I'll call you on my lunch break, okay? I love you, Bella."

"I love you, too. Bye."

"Bye," I said before hanging up the phone.

. . . . .

Amazingly, I managed to get to work on time after dropping Little One off. She cried. Like, full out bawled when I handed her over. She was already beginning to have separation issues before Bella left, but this had just made it worse. I needed to get my family back together, for her sake and mine.

Too bad I couldn't strap her to my chest during surgery because I probably would.

"Can I see you in my office once you're done with rounds?" Dad asked as I looked over charts.

I cocked my head, wondering what this was about. When I had told him that Bella and I were moving, he took it better than I thought. He said we could work it out with my commute, and wanted me to stay here if I could. Since he said that, I didn't even bother looking into Forks Community Hospital. The commute would suck, but forty-five minutes wasn't _that_ long of a drive.

"Uh . . . sure," I said, nodding. "Anything big?"

He smiled, shaking his head. "Nothing urgent, just when you have time."

I shrugged it off, figuring it was something administrative as I finished going over charts and headed for rounds. After I had checked in on everyone, I went to go see Bree — my Christmas Eve patient. She had developed pneumonia, so she wasn't released like planned a few days ago. She wasn't on my service anymore, but I had kept visiting her. Honestly, she was pretty fucking cool. She was blunt and a fighter, promising that she'd run again and get that scholarship. She was still pissed at the drunk driver — rightfully so — and had some interesting opinions on how he should be punished.

"Bree," I said, fixing the mask on my face as I walked closer to her bed.

She opened her eyes, smiling slightly when she saw me. "Hi," she said softly.

"Hey. How are you feeling?"

She shrugged. "Better than yesterday. Doc said my lungs still look shitty, though."

I looked across the room, hoping to see her x-ray on the light board. Of course it wasn't up. "Well, that sucks, but if you're feeling better, that's a step in the right direction."

She nodded. "I just want to get the hell out of here. I don't know how you can stand this place. Just three weeks and I'm ready to strangle myself with a sheet."

I cracked a smile, even though she couldn't see it. Anyone coming into her room had to wear masks, gloves, and a gown because we couldn't risk her getting sicker. "If you did that, I'd be really fucking pissed. I'm still mad that you got pneumonia and are risking all my hard work."

"Sorry?"

"I'll accept your apology if I can have your Jell-O cup."

She passed it over to me, laughing softly. "I hate the green kind anyway."

As I settled into the chair — saving the Jell-O for later — she talked to me about school starting back up and all the work she had to do. I stayed with her for a half hour, helping her with her biology homework and talking a little. She wouldn't see a therapist, which I told her was stupid. She'd come around eventually. I hoped, at least.

"I have to go," I said. "My dad wants me in his office."

"Oh, you're in trouble," she teased. "The respiratory therapist is coming by soon anyway. Will I see you later?"

I nodded. "I'll stop in when I have a chance. Ask to see a therapist."

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I'm fine."

I shook my head, sighing before walking out. She knew we wouldn't talk after she was released, but I doubted she had accepted it yet. She'd have to, though. After leaving her room, I walked down to Dad's office and knocked on his door, waiting for him to say, "Come in."

When I opened the door, he was behind his desk, which was piled with charts. He motioned for me to sit down as he rifled through everything, pulling out a thin Manila folder.

Shit, I really hope this wasn't a lawsuit.

"Dr. Evan James is a pretty good friend of mine," he said. "Do you know who he is?"

I shook my head. "No, why?"

"He's the chief of staff at Forks Community. We golf."

I cocked my brow. "Forks?"

"I'm not doing you any favors, but here's his number." He passed me the folder. "And a new contract is in there, too. I honestly don't want to see you go, so if you wind up taking a job at Forks, I want to keep you on staff here too on an as needed basis. It's a lot to think about, so I don't expect an answer yet."

"You don't know if I'd even get a job there, though."

He smiled. "Dr. James has heard me talk about you. If you showed interest, I have a feeling he'd jump to have you on staff. He's wanted a better surgical department for years now."

I looked at the folder in my hands. Not only was Dad okay with me taking a job in Forks, but he wanted to let me keep working here sometimes, too. It could be the best of both worlds. Work regularly there, but still have the possibility of performing more complicated procedures here. I wouldn't be giving up this, and would gain _that_ — a job near my family, so I could be home for Little One.

"I don't know what to say," I said.

"Just think about it, and talk to Bella. I think this decision needs to be both of yours, don't you?"

I nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't do anything without talking to her."

He grinned like a fucking maniac. "Good. Now, how's Charlie?"

I told him about Charlie and Little One. He agreed that it was probably the separation from her mom, but she'd adjust soon enough. He wished me luck on finding a house, telling me he hoped Bella and I could be back together soon because I was _moody_ , apparently. Asshole. When Mom would go away, he'd fucking starve if she didn't leave him precooked meals. At least I could cook a little thanks to Bella.

"Let me know what you decided," he said as I stood up. "Oh, and Bree Tanner. How is she?"

I shrugged. "She said she feels better, just I guess her lungs haven't cleared up any. She, uh . . . won't talk to anyone but me still."

His brow creased. "She's growing too attached . . . as are you, I believe. That's what took you so long, isn't it?"

"She's been through hell. Her entire life changed in an instant, so I feel bad for her. That's all." I wasn't doing anything wrong by still seeing Bree, even though she wasn't my patient. I told her it wouldn't last forever and tried to get her to see a therapist. It wasn't my fault she hadn't agreed yet. "I'm working on getting her to talk to someone, okay? She knows us talking can't last."

"I'm not saying you've done anything wrong. In fact, it's been good to see you connect with a patient — shows me how much you've changed, even professionally — but I just don't want you growing too attached. She'll be released eventually, hopefully."

"She will be. She's a fighter."

"And has your mouth, as I've heard," he chuckled. "Tell her cursing at my nurses isn't all right."

I smirked. "But it's kind of funny."

. . . . .

I only had two scheduled surgeries, which were both finished by lunch, so I spent a while on the phone with Bella that afternoon in the lounge. We talked about Little One and some tricks to try and get her to eat like she should. Tonight, we were going to try a video call, so she could see her mommy. It'd probably just distract her more, but it was worth a shot.

"I'm going to call the chief of staff at Forks Community Hospital later," I said, leaning back in the chair. "Dad made me an offer today. He said that if I get a job there, I can still work here on an as needed basis. Do you think it's a good idea? I mean, it might be less money, but then I wouldn't have to commute. I haven't talked to the guy, so I don't even know if he'd hire me."

"I think that's a great idea, as long as it's what _you_ want," she said. "I don't want you to give up a job you love for something less. You're already moving for me."

"I'm moving for us, and I don't even know what the job would involve yet. Simpler procedures, I'm guessing, but if I can still work here, I'd be happy."

"Then call, Edward. I want you to be happy."

I smiled to myself, thinking about hers. Yeah, even over the phone I could hear her smile. Fuck, I missed her.

 _Just two days_ , I reminded myself.

"I can't fucking wait to see you, Nibbles," I sighed. "This feels like torture."

"It's only been four days," she reminded me softly. "I miss you too, but I promise you'll be rewarded."

I smirked. "Oh, yeah? Do I get log sex?"

She laughed. "Your lucky Dad is napping or he'd see me blushing and ask why."

"I'll bring a blanket and a pillow."

"I'm not having sex on a log, Edward!" she whispered harshly between giggles. "A car . . . maybe."

I perked up at that. Car sex could work. I'd totally be okay with that. My dick twitched at the thought of her body wrapped around mine again. It had been too fucking long. "Don't tease me, woman," I said as my pager went off. Worst. Fucking. Timing. Ever. "I've got to go, but we're finishing this later. After your dad goes to sleep."

I could just _see_ her blush. "I'll be looking forward to it. I love you. Bye."

"Bye," I said, hanging up the phone and exchanging it with my pager.

It was the ER, so I had to rush downstairs quickly.

. . . . .

After being in surgery for a few hours, the rest of my day went by pretty quickly. Around four, I had a break, so I decided to call Dr. James at Forks Community. I was actually fucking nervous. I _did_ want this job.

As it rang, my foot tapped against the floor. I was seriously jittery. What the hell? "Dr. James speaking," a man answered.

"Hello, Dr. James," I said. "My name is Dr. Edward Cullen. If you have a few minutes, I was hoping we could talk?"

"Carlisle's boy?"

"Yes, sir."

"Of course I have a few minutes! What can I do for you?"

I went on to explain everything. Why I was moving to Forks, when, and that I was curious about a job opportunity. He didn't even ask me to send my resume and told me about the possibilities in Forks. He told me about his surgical department and how he wished to expand it to better serve the small community. Hearing his plans _actually_ excited me. Jesus Christ, I could be making a huge difference by working there. They only had two general surgeons, and he was one of them.

"If we had you, we could offer more surgical options here instead of referring them to Olympic Medical Center," he said. "This is a small, tight-knit community, Edward. I don't enjoy sending people I know well away to strangers. Are you positive about moving here?"

"My girlfriend's father recently had a heart attack, so—"

"Charlie?" he asked, cutting me off.

"Yeah, Chief Swan. Bella wants to be closer to him, so we're definitely moving there. I have an eleven month old daughter, and I _really_ didn't like the idea of commuting forty-five minutes each way every day. I want to see her, so a job there would make that easier. And to be honest, Dr. James, the idea of helping and actually making a difference thrills me."

"Then come see me when you get a chance. We'll talk about options a little more, okay?"

"Thank you so much. I'll be there this weekend, if you have time."

"Try to come by Sunday. I'm here all day."

"Great." I smiled to myself. "I'll see you then. Again, thank you, sir."

As I hung up the phone, I fell back against the chair, grinning. Holy shit, he'd hire me. I just . . . it all seemed to be working out so perfectly. I quickly picked up my phone again, calling Bella to tell her the news.

. . . . .

Thankfully, the rest of my day was filled with charting and a few consults, so I got out of work on time, hurrying to pick up Little One from daycare. I really fucking hated leaving her there for so long again.

I was told how fussy she had been and that she took her formula, but refused the disgusting baby food. _Awesome._ The chick told me that Little One's smile when she saw me had been the first one of the day.

"Let's go home and see Mommy, okay?" I asked, kissing her cheek.

"Dada . . . Momma?" she asked.

I smiled. "Yeah, you get to see her tonight."

She snuggled into my chest as I carried her out to the car, strapping her into the car seat. Thankfully, she didn't cry on the way home like she had this morning. My guess was that she was all cried out or some shit.

It broke my damn heart to think about that.

When we got home, I gave her a bath as she kept that little smile on her face and splashed me. After we were both dry and changed, I called Bella to see if she was ready for us. She was, so I put my laptop on the counter, pulling Little One's high chair close as I got her food ready. Her video call came through, and I quickly accepted and waited for her beautiful face to pop up. When it did, Little One squealed, pointing at her.

"Momma! Momma!"

"Hi, sweetie!" Bella said, grinning as she waved. "I think you're even prettier! I love you!"

"Momma!" Little One tried to lunge forward for her, so I pulled my laptop closer.

"We can see Mommy, but can't touch," I said sadly. "We'll be able to soon, though."

"I can't wait to hold you again," Bella said, blinking quickly. If she cried, I'd fucking lose it and we'd be driving down there tonight. "Ready for dinner?"

I lifted the spoon from the bowl, holding it up. "Let's show Mommy that you're a good girl, okay?" I asked. "Just eat a little for me."

"Eat for me, sweetie," Bella said as I put the spoon to Little One's lips.

She babbled for a moment before I put a little on her bottom lip. She actually licked it, so that was better than this morning. I managed to get the spoon in her mouth, and she _ate it_. Fuck, yes.

"Good girl!" Bella praised.

"That's it, Little One," I said, picking up another glob. "Keep going, please?"

Between Bella and me talking to her, she actually managed to eat it all. It was the first time she had finished the whole bowl in days, so I was fucking ecstatic. Once I had cleaned up her face, I moved Little One to the floor, and then brought the laptop over. She played as Bella talked to her, babbling back and barely making any sense. But when Sofia decided she wanted to try and give Bella the car by hitting my laptop screen, we decided it was time to end it.

"Let's do this every night," I said, holding Little One in my lap and keeping her hands from the screen. "Thank you, Bella."

She smiled, nodding. "She had me worried, too. When you two get here Friday night, I'm not letting her go all weekend, just so you know."

I chuckled. "I wouldn't expect any less. I love you, and I'm calling you later." I winked.

She blushed, nibbling on her lip. Fuck, I wanted to do that to her. "I'll be waiting. I love you, too. Bye, Sofia! Mommy loves you!"

"Bye!" Little One giggled, waving her hand.

"Let's blow Mommy a kiss," I said, and she did just that, making Bella grin as we ended the call.

. . . . .

After Little One had finished playing and I gave her a bottle, we sat down in the rocking chair and I read to her from some children's book. She was out quickly with her head tucked under my chin.

I closed the book, tossing it to the ground before putting my hand on her back, kissing the top of her head. "I know you miss Mommy right now, but soon we'll all be together again. I'm going to get you a house with a big backyard and build you a swing set. We're going to be a real family someday, too. I'm going to marry Mommy and make everything legal. I need to make sure that won't cause any issues, though. I _never_ want you to know what Kate did to you, but I'm sure you'll have to." I sighed, rocking gently.

Kate _had_ signed away her rights, but I didn't know what that meant if Bella wanted to adopt her once we got married. Could she cause issues? I didn't think so, but I wasn't sure. I'd need to talk to the family attorney, just to be sure . . . and maybe talk to Kate.

The only thing I knew for sure was that _Bella_ was Sofia's mom, and that needed to be made legal.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32: Finally Friday**

Jesus Christ, it was _finally_ Friday.

I honestly believed a week had never passed so slowly before. A week without Bella fucking sucked, but I'd have to do it again and again until we found a house and moved to Forks. Or until she could leave Charlie alone and trust him not to have some minion of his bring him a damn cheeseburger.

"Heading out early?" Jasper asked as I passed him the last chart I needed to look over.

I nodded. "Yeah, Dad said it was fine as long as I got my shit done, which I did. I'm going to check on Bree and then get out of here. I packed everything Little One and I would need in the car this morning, so we're heading down to Forks once I pick her up."

"Cool. So, this means you won't be mopey Monday, right?" He smirked.

"Fuck you, and stealing shit from my dad is lame."

He laughed. "But he's right. And a heads up, Bree's in a shittier mood than usual. Dr. Philips stopped by today."

I sighed, guessing her orthopedic surgeon didn't bring good news. "How bad is it?"

"Another surgery as soon as she's well enough." He grimaced.

"Yeah, I'm sure she's been bitchy. I'll see you later. Drinks one night soon? I'm sure Mom wants Sofia."

He nodded. "Sounds good."

I put my bag over my shoulder before walking down the hall to Bree's room. When I opened the door and stepped in, I found her with headphones in and tears on her cheeks. Shit, did she have to be crying?

I reached up, pulling one of the headphones out as she snapped her head up. "Oh," she said, taking the other one out before wiping her tears. "I thought you had left already."

I shook my head, sitting down. "I'm heading out soon. What's, uh . . . with the crying?"

"Sad song," she said, obviously lying.

"Bullshit. What did Dr. Philips say?"

Her breathing grew quicker as she started to cry again. Well, fuck. I reached out, taking her hand. "Just breathe," I said softly. "In through your nose and out through your mouth."

Hyperventilating while having pneumonia wasn't good. Her O2 sats were already pretty shitty, and I didn't want them to get worse. So . . . I _comforted_. Well, my brand of awkward comfort.

"It's all right," I said. "Just . . . calm down."

"I-I-I . . . won't be . . . I can't run . . . this fall," she sobbed, gasping. "He said . . . a _year_ of th-therapy, at least!"

I nodded, running my thumb over the top of her hand. "I'm sorry, but with physical therapy, there's a good chance you _will_ run again."

"It's more . . . more than the s-scholarship."

"In through your nose and out through your mouth," I reminded as she nodded.

"T-trying."

She followed my instruction — well, somewhat — and tried to calm down. I just . . . told her it was okay. I mean, what else could I say? Once her breathing as back to normal, I asked, "What's more than the scholarship?"

"I was really good," she sniffled. "I may not be the s-smartest girl in the world, but I'm _fast_ , and when I'm running, I just feel . . . good. It helps me forget about all the other stuff, you know?"

"Yeah, I run to clear my head sometimes, too."

"What am I supposed to do if I can't? Everything is just . . . falling apart. I can't even go home because of stupid fucking pneumonia. I'm stuck in this horrible place, and I hate it. I hate everything," she said harshly as she wiped her tears.

"I'm sorry."

"Part of me just wishes . . . I just wish . . . why did you save me?"

My brow lifted, trying to figure out what to say. "Because it's my job."

"Look at me. Really, just look at me. How is it fair that I have to live looking like some disgusting freak?"

I sighed, running my hand over my face. "You don't like look a freak."

"My friend Riley came to see me before I got pneumonia. I love him. Like, actually love him, but he doesn't know. I _might_ have had a chance before because I was pretty, but now I'm not. He could barely look at me, Edward."

"Then he's a fucking idiot," I said. This was so far out of my league. Teenage boys, really? "Because you _are_ beautiful, and if he can't see that because of a few scars that'll fade, he doesn't deserve to be loved by you. You're still _you_ , Bree. You're funny, sweet, and just . . . cool. Kids say that still, right? Cool, I mean?"

Her lip curled up slightly. "Sometimes."

I nodded. "Then cool . . . you're a cool person, and when you go home, I'll miss seeing you. But I'll be happier that you're well enough to go home. You're alive, and though you may not see it now, it is the most important thing. Honestly, I can't help with all of this stuff. I fucking suck at serious conversations, and I should apologize to my daughter for it now. But just because I can't help, doesn't mean no one can. You're going through a lot. And though it's been a while, I know being a teenager doesn't exactly help anything. There are people who _can_ help, though."

"I'm not—"

"Yeah, yeah, you won't talk to anyone," I said, cutting her off. "But like I've said, that's stupid because they can help. You have to be able to let all of this out or you'll just wind up miserable. Do you really want to be miserable for the rest of your life?"

She sniffled, shaking her head. "I'm not crazy, though."

"No one said you were. You went through a traumatic experience and almost _died_. That's pretty heavy shit and would mess with anybody. No, you can't run right now, but you can talk."

"I don't want another surgery."

"I wish you didn't have to have one either, but you do. It's all a part of getting better — physically and emotionally. You're angry, scared, confused, and God knows what else, but nothing will get better until you do something about it. Please, Bree, talk to someone who can help."

"It's just . . . I don't even know what."

"It's a lot," I said, standing up. "I'm not really a hugging type of person, so I apologize in advanced."

I leaned down and put my arm around her as she did the same to me. Jesus, this was so . . . strange, but I thought she needed it. Bella once said something about kids hugging, thinking it made things better. It didn't fix anything, but maybe it'd make her feel a little better, which was all I wanted.

I really did like Bree, and I wanted her to be okay — more than just physically, which was all I used to really care about. Once my job was done, I used to walk away with a smile, but there was more than just repairing organs and stitching someone up. Bree made me see that. Well, to be honest, I think it was Little One and Bella who really opened my eyes so I _could_ see it.

"Okay, it's getting awkward now," Bree said, laughing softly as I pulled away.

"Yeah, I felt it, too." I smirked. "So, I'll be back Monday to check on you. I'm sure you'll be here for a few more days anyway, right?"

She nodded. "Looks like it. Dr. Philips wants to do the surgery once he gets the okay that I'm healthy enough."

"Great, I'll stop in. I want to hear something good, okay?"

"I'll ask my parents to set up seeing someone."

I smiled, picking my bag up. "I think it'll help. I'll see you later."

"Thanks for . . . you know."

"You're welcome," I said simply.

. . . . .

Even after spending so long with Bree, I still managed to get to Little One by six-thirty. Once again, I was told she had been fussy all day. "We're going to see Mommy now, baby," I said, kissing her cheek as we walked to the SUV. She seemed to cheer up at that, smiling as I got her buckled in.

She babbled as I drove, and we seemed to be having a conversation — just one neither of us could actually understand. I called Bella, putting her on through the car so she could hear Little One's excitement.

"Oh, yeah?" Bella asked, laughing a little. "Tell me more."

And Sofia did, squealing and clapping her hands. It was kind of fucking hard not looking back to see it. She was probably adorable.

"We'll be there in about fifteen minutes," I said. "Sofia's probably going to shit herself when she actually sees you."

Thankfully, Little One didn't repeat shit. When I told Bella about her basically saying fuck in front of Mom, she busted out laughing, saying she knew Sofia would repeat something bad at some point. I didn't find it funny, probably because Mom laid into me massively. Yeah, I felt like a kid getting caught with my hand in the damn cookie jar. I had been trying a lot harder to not say fuck in front of her since then, let's just say.

"I'm so ready to see you two," she said. "I love you."

I smiled. "I love you, too. Bye."

"Bye."

I hit the button on my steering wheel, hanging up the phone before glancing back to Little One in the mirrors. She seemed content, just playing with one of her small toys for the rest of the drive. When I pulled into Charlie's driveway, Bella was on the front porch, waiting for us.

She rushed to the backdoor as I got out. Little One would get her turn, but I was first. I pulled her against my chest, caressing my thumb over her cheek as I kissed her. It wasn't quick and simple. I took my time, memorizing her taste again. I fucking missed her. I missed everything, and not just this. Her scent, her touch, her beautiful smile and flushed cheeks as I pulled away.

"I feel like it's been forever," she said, tilting her head up to kiss me again. "I missed you."

I smiled. "I missed you, too. Oh, and so did she, so you might want to get her," I laughed, hearing Little One's squeals from inside the car.

Bella quickly opened the door, unbuckling Little One and pulling her out. I couldn't keep count of how many times she kissed her cheek as Sofia said, "Momma!" over and over. As they went inside, I grabbed the portable crib and Little One's bag from the back, making a trip inside before getting the other two bags. When I came back downstairs, I found everyone in the living room.

Charlie looked pretty good, actually. He was recovering well from his heart attack, but I could tell he was tired. He smiled, watching Bella and Sofia reconnect.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, sitting down beside Bella on the couch.

He nodded. "Pretty good. She's been taking good care of me, but I'm glad she's got Pumpkin Head back for now. She's been missing you two."

I smiled, putting my hand on Bella's waist as I ignored the god-awful nickname. "We've missed her, too."

As we talked about his health and what had been going on, Bella went to get Little One's dinner and checked on ours. Fuck, I missed her cooking. I'd even take the bland shit that Charlie despised at this point as long as it was made by her.

Luckily, she made two dinners and mine certainly wasn't bland. It was her amazing spaghetti. I ate that shit up, making sure she knew how good it was. I couldn't help but notice Charlie's glare from his plate of chicken as I ate a meatball.

This was payback for the fishing trip.

"Have you learned any new words, sweet girl?" Bella asked, holding Little One in her lap as she ate. She had stayed true to her word, not letting Sofia go since they got her.

"Momma, bee nah eee!" she squealed.

Bella laughed, nodding. "I'm not sure what 'bee nah eee' means, but all right, then."

"Tell Mommy that dinner was yummy," I said. "Yummy, yummy, yummy."

"Mmm eee!" she repeated, looking up at Bella.

"I'm glad." She smiled, kissing her cheek.

. . . . .

After dinner and a bath for Little One — since I had let her have spaghetti sauce — we all settled into the living room. Shockingly, Bella relinquished Sofia to her dad, letting him hold her for a little while.

She went straight for the pornstache, making Daddy proud with a good yank.

"Yep, you're getting stronger," Charlie laughed, pulling her hand away. "Seems like you've gotten bigger, too. Hard to believe with how small you were just a few months ago that you're this big now."

"I can't believe she'll be a year old in two weeks," Bella said. "If Dad's up to it, he wants to come to the party at your parents' house, Edward."

"I promise not to have a heart attack in their kitchen this time," Charlie said, smirking a little. "I'm behaving, right, Bells?"

She rolled her eyes. "Try to get someone else to sneak a cheeseburger in here, and I'll make you eat tofu."

I laughed, leaning down to kiss Bella's cheek. "Or you could just punish him by making me one and letting me eat it in front of him."

"I still have guns, son, so don't test me," Charlie said, leaning down to put Little One on the floor.

She crawled over to Bella, gripping her leg and pulling herself up. Before Bella could pick her up, she shocked the hell out of us by taking a step, and then another and another before winding up on her bottom not far away.

Holy shit.

"She just . . ." I said, looking at Bella. "She _walked_ , right? I didn't imagine that."

"Oh my god!" Bella said, grinning. "She did! She walked!"

We hurried off the couch, and I picked Little One up, lifting her above my head. My kid fucking _walked_. Sure, pulling herself up wasn't new and I had kind of been expecting it, but not tonight. Not with Bella here, too. It was perfect timing.

"That's my girl," I said, kissing her cheek. "Did you walk tonight, just so Mommy could see?"

Bella laughed, holding her arms out for Little One. I passed her over, and Bella held her close to her chest. "Oh, thank you, sweet girl!" she said. "You don't know how terrified I was of missing that."

I leaned down, pressing my lips to Bella's as Sofia squirmed and giggled. "Think she can do it again?"

She nodded. "Let's try."

We spent the next hour on the floor, letting Little One walk between us in exchange for toys. She certainly wasn't very good and wound up on her bottom after a step or two, but she was still walking. I couldn't believe my eyes, to be honest. Memories of her on our first night together flashed before my eyes. That little red-faced kid who couldn't do anything was now walking and talking.

I was so damn proud.

"He's going to cry," Charlie said from his recliner.

I looked up, rolling my eyes. "No, I'm not." Okay, _maybe_ I could have, but I wasn't going to. "I just can't believe she's almost a year old."

"They grow up pretty fast." He smiled and looked down at Bella as she played with Little One. "Before you know it, they'll be the ones taking care of you."

"Oh, hush," she said. "You'll be back on your feet in no time."

"I hope so," he sighed. "So, are you two going to look at houses tomorrow?"

She nodded. "I have three to show him and Mrs. Newton said she'd be around, so I'll give her a call in the afternoon. Are you sure you'll be okay for a few hours?"

"Positive."

Little One yawned, blinking tiredly as she discarded her current toy. "Someone's ready for bed," Bella said. "I'll take her up, if that's okay? I've missed putting her to bed."

"Yeah, go ahead," I said.

She picked her up and handed her to me, so I could kiss her goodnight. "Sleep well, Sofia. Love you."

"Luff," she said before I passed her back to Bella.

Once they had gone upstairs, I started putting all the toys back in the bag. Charlie turned the television off, so I figured he was going up to bed too, but he didn't move.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah, of course," I said, zipping the bag up and going to sit back down on the couch. "What's up?"

"I just want to thank you for all you've done for me . . . and for bringing Bella back here. I know Forks probably isn't your ideal place to live, but it's a good town. The people are kind and I know you'll be appreciated at the hospital."

I smiled. "I honestly never saw myself in an even smaller town than Port Angeles, but I think it'll be good. What Dr. James is offering has me excited. It's certainly going to be different, but I know this is where we belong. Bella loves it here, so I'm sure I will, too. Plus, I kind of want Sofia to grow up somewhere like this."

"And that's another thing . . . You're going to marry my daughter, right?"

I nodded. "I hope to."

"So . . . Sofia will be my granddaughter?"

"I . . . I'd like her to be. I understand that she's not Bella's biological daughter, but in every other way she is. They love each other. This past week has proven that. I mean, Sofia refused to eat without seeing Bella."

"I heard."

"So, it'd mean a lot to me if you could one day consider her your family. I can't ask for that, so it's up to you."

He smiled a little. "She's my daughter's daughter, so of course I consider her family. I just . . . wanted to know what you thought of that, I guess."

"Thank you, Charlie," I said, reaching my hand out to him.

He shook it. "Thank you for making my daughter happy."

. . . . .

After a dull morning, Bella, Little One, and I got out around noon to meet with the realtor and look at houses. They all fucking sucked, let's just say. The small town didn't have much to offer, so I didn't know what we were going to do. After finishing up with the realtor, we stopped at some diner for lunch to go over what we saw.

"They weren't _that_ bad," Bella said, feeding Little One as we waited for our food. "I mean, they might need some work, but they're livable."

I cocked my brow. "We're going for livable?"

"You know what I mean," she huffed. "I liked this one."

She pushed me over one of the listing for an older four bedroom home. It was the biggest we had seen, but fuck, it needed _a lot_ of work.

"It has a big backyard," I said. "And a two car garage, so room for Tanya."

She laughed softly. "See? It could work. And it's not that much, so putting work into it wouldn't be that big of a deal."

"But we need to move soon."

"Like I said, livable."

I dropped the paper and ran my hand over my face as I sighed. "Do you want it?"

She shrugged. "It's the best we've seen. I think it could be nice, actually. Remodel the kitchen and bathrooms, paint inside and out, put in new floors, and then go from there. It's plenty big enough, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, bigger than what we need."

She smiled. "Let's just think about it, okay? It's only a few blocks from my dad's and the hospital. Well . . . I guess everything kind of is."

I laughed. "True. And you know, my mom's good at house shit. She did everything for their house, so she could help."

"Perfect! We're not going to find a house exactly how you want, so this is really the best option. It's pretty on the outside, don't you think?"

"Uh . . . sure." I smirked.

Over lunch, we continued to talk about the house and what we could do. Bella told me about what she could "see", and I was pretty much sold. There was talk of Little One in the backyard, her helping Bella cook, and just little scenes she could imagine in _our_ house. By the time we headed back to Charlie's, it was decided that we'd put an offer in first thing Monday.

The only thing I had left to do now was speak with Dr. James at Forks Community, and then we'd be set. I was actually a little nervous for our meeting tomorrow, which was set at nine in the morning. I _wanted_ this job, and when I told Bella about what I'd be doing, she said I lit up — whatever the fuck that meant.

I never envisioned this kind of life for myself, but I loved the idea of it. When I had decided to be a doctor, it was to help people. I could do that anywhere, but being in Forks would _actually_ make a difference. No surgeon fresh out of residency was jumping at the chance to take a job in a small town, but this was the type of place that actually needed them.

"What are you thinking about?" Bella asked, resting against me with Little One in her arms as we watched the television on low.

Charlie had already gone to bed, so it was just us. Little One would probably be on her way soon, though. When we got home, we didn't do much except talk about the house and possibilities. It was a quiet evening, which was nice for a change.

"Forks Community," I said, running my hand over Sofia's back. "I can't wait to hear what all Dr. James has to say. You know, how I'll be utilized and what changes we can make."

"It's nice to see you excited about this. I've been worried that we'd move here and you'd be miserable because it's not what you truly want."

I kissed her temple. "I'm not going to be miserable, Bella. It's not even close to the plan I had for my life, but let's be honest here, that plan sucked."

She laughed softly. "What? The different girl every night until you did them all plan?"

"I kind of hate myself for being that way, you know? I don't miss it at all."

"You better not."

"Pssh, I have you, so why the fuck would I miss them?"

"Good answer." She smirked. "And I certainly didn't see myself being a mom already, but it's all I could ever want. I wish I had given birth to her, but I'm just thankful I have her and you."

Little One was passed out cold as we looked down at her. "Remind me to thank her one day, okay?" I asked.

"Oh, I think we'll both have to do that." She smiled up at me. "I love you."

"I love you, too."


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33: First Birthday**

Unfortunately, my two and a half days with Bella had passed quickly. I had my meeting with Dr. James on Sunday morning, and it went great. I was so fucking excited to start working at Forks. The board had recently put a shitload of money into remodeling and updating the hospital, so the surgical floor was much better than I excepted. There were only two surgical suites, but both were outfitted with the latest technology, and with me coming on board, Dr. James promised to try and acquire anything that I thought was missing. The hospital was small, and he said I'd be spending a lot of time in the ER. He went over his dreams for it, and I was just sold. They had often sent patients who needed emergency surgeries to Port Angeles, and he was determined to cut down on that and put more money into the hospital by performing procedures here.

I saw what kind of difference I'd be making and realized how much I was needed. He made me an offer to start at the beginning of April — just over two months from now — and I took it, signing the contract without a second thought. I just hoped the house would be closed on by then.

We had put the offer in that Monday and it was accepted, so now we were just waiting on the paperwork to go through. It had been almost two weeks since I last saw Bella, since I had worked this past weekend. Thankfully, Little One's birthday was in two days and she and Charlie were coming for it. Since I had tonight off, Jasper and I finally got together for drinks while Sofia was at my parents' house.

"This is so fucking insane," I said, laughing. "You just set a wedding date and I'm buying a house for my family. What the fuck happened to us?"

"Women," Jasper said, smirking. "It's hard to believe, isn't it? Dude, I'm getting married in December! Holy shit."

"And I'm going to throw you the best damn bachelor party possible."

He lifted his beer, clanking it against mine. "Damn straight. So, when are you leaving OMC?"

"March thirty-first is my last day, and then I start at Forks on the ninth."

After a few beers and wings, Jasper and I left the bar at ten. Yeah . . . I left a bar at _ten_. Times had really fucking changed. It was good to hang with him again, though. With how much our lives had changed, we basically only saw each other at work or when we went out with Alice and Bella, which hadn't happened much. Little One certainly made it hard to have free time, but I didn't mind. I'd rather have spent an evening with her and Bella than been out.

When I got back to my apartment and walked toward my room, I noticed that the light was on. "What the fuck?" I asked.

I _knew_ I had shut it off this morning, so I stood back and pushed the door open, peering in. I certainly didn't expect what I saw. On my bed, in some lace thing, was Bella. She quickly tossed the book in her hands onto the floor and smiled when she noticed me.

"So, uh . . . surprise," she said.

I dropped my keys on the dresser and chuckled. "Yeah, what are you doing here?"

"I'm pretty sure that Dad will be okay for one night, so I decided to come back. I've missed you and I wanted to surprise you. What do you think?" She played with the tiny material covering her as her cheeks flushed.

Jesus Christ, had I mentioned I loved this woman?

I quickly pulled my scrub top over my head, took off my shoes and walked over to the bed, laying down next to her. "I think it'd look better on the floor, to be honest," I said, ghosting my lips against hers before nibbling on her bottom lips and kissing her.

Fuck, I didn't even want to think about how long it had been since I'd been with her. Too long, let's just say. My hand slid under the lace thing, feeling her soft, warm skin. Her perfect fucking body was here, next to me, and I was so glad she had done this.

"You're amazing," I said, pulling back slightly. "I've missed you, too, and not just like this. You're staying tonight, right? Fuck, Bella, please don't go."

She laid her hand against my face, smiling. "I'm not leaving until tomorrow. I'm here, just make it last, please?"

I moved my lips along her jaw. "I will, baby. I'm going to take my time. Do you even know how good you taste?"

She moaned as I kissed behind her ear. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

After touching and tasting every inch of her as I took the tiny material off of her, I kicked my pants off and moved back down her body. I relished each moment with her, taking my time as I moved my fingers into her, sucking on her clit as she came, screaming my name. We had all night, but I . . . fuck, I needed to be in her. I moved slowly, loving how fucking good she felt wrapped around my dick. Her pussy was perfect, just like every other inch of her.

"Oh, God," she moaned as I pushed her leg higher, moving faster.

I was so fucking close. I sucked on her neck, rubbing her clit as she suddenly came. I _loved_ hearing my name fall from her lips, and I came soon after she did, collapsing next to her. She moved over my chest, panting softly as I did. We were far from done, but for the moment, I just held her close, wishing I never had to let her go.

. . . . .

I wasn't ready for Bella to leave the next morning, even though I'd see her again tomorrow. I woke up with her beside me again, and I just looked at her. She was so damn beautiful, and what she had done last night was one of the best surprises of my life. She missed me too, and came here just so we could spend a night together.

I probably should have felt bad that she left Charlie alone, but I knew she wouldn't have done it if she wasn't sure he'd be all right. I looked at the clock, knowing she needed to leave soon. When I kissed her shoulder, her head turned back toward me as she smiled sleepily.

"Hi," she whispered.

I smiled. "Hi, it's almost eight."

She sighed, nodding. "I told Dad I'd be back around nine, but I don't want to leave."

I kissed her softly, holding her tightly. "I don't want you to leave either, but he needs you, and I need to go get Little One."

"I miss her so much, you know? The video calls are nice and all, but it's not the same. Not even close, actually. She's learning and growing every day, and I hate missing it."

"I hate it too, but we'll all be together soon. I'm sure Charlie will be okay on his own here in a few weeks, so maybe you can move back until we get the house."

She smiled, nodding. " _Our_ house."

I kissed her again, and then said, "I can't fucking wait, Nibbles."

Once we had finally gotten out of bed, she put her things back in her small bag and changed as I started coffee. She had called Charlie, letting him know she might not be back until closer to ten and stayed to have a few cups with me as we talked. She had finally let her school know that she wouldn't be coming back after her leave of absence was up. She hadn't found a job in Forks yet, but decided to just let hers go instead of making the drive each day. We'd figure everything out, but in the meantime, I'd support her.

She kind of hated that, by the way. Hell, when she had moved in to my apartment a few months ago, she made me let her pay half of the rent and the groceries, so she could contribute. She didn't like not being able to support herself, but this was just how it'd have to be until she found a job in Forks.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Bella said, resting her head against my chest as I held her. "I wish I could just stay, but knowing Charlie, he'd be ordering from The Lodge for dinner."

I chuckled, nodding. "I'm sure he would. He'd then get one of his minions to bring it to him."

"Yep, a big, fatty steak, I'm sure," she laughed softly before sighing and holding me closer. "You're going to dress Sofia in the outfit I picked out, right? I can't believe she'll be one tomorrow."

"It's crazy how fast the time has passed, and yeah, I'll put her in it, even though I don't quite understand _why_ you bought her a special outfit for her birthday."

She looked up at me, shaking her head as she smiled. "Because it's a special day, so she needs a special outfit. Just do it."

I caressed her cheek. "I will. I love you."

"I love you, too. We'll be at your parents' around eleven, okay?"

I nodded. "Sounds good."

I dipped my head, kissing her once more before opening her door for her. Once she had left, I got in my car to head to my parents' to pick Little One up. It still amazed me that she'd be a year old tomorrow. I'd had her for ten months now, and it seemed to have passed too fucking quickly.

. . . . .

"Can you walk to Daddy, precious girl?" Dad asked, holding Little One's hands as she stood.

I had just gotten here, and the two of them had been playing in the living room. Dad let her hands go, and she toddled toward me, falling on her ass after a few steps. She just giggled and got back up, hurrying the rest of the way to me.

I lifted her up, kissing her cheek. "Good girl!" I said. "Did you miss me, Sofia?"

"Dada!" she squealed. "Dada, Dada, Dada!"

I blew a raspberry on her cheek, and she squirmed against my chest as she giggled. She pushed my face away with her hand once she'd had enough.

"All right, no more raspberries," I laughed. "Give Daddy a kiss."

She put her hands on my face and pressed a sloppy, wet kiss just beside my mouth. Jesus fucking Christ, could she be any cuter? I sat down on the couch with her as Mom came in the room.

"How was she?" I asked.

"She was pretty good," Dad said. "She fussed after you left last night — like normal — but eventually calmed down. She's doing really well with walking, you know? And getting into things." He laughed, shaking his head.

Mom didn't look as amused as he did, so I assumed Little One hadn't been _that_ good. "What did she do?" I asked.

"Don't you see all of my plants are out of here?" Mom asked. "Your father decided to leave her alone for a few minutes, so she made a mess of the soil."

I tried so hard not to laugh at the image of Little One covered in soil. "She didn't eat it, right?"

"I caught her in time," Dad chuckled. "But it was pretty adorable, let's just say. I won't make the mistake of leaving her alone to answer my phone again."

"Yeah, Bella and I learned that when she was crawling. She pulled half of my DVDs off of the shelf one time."

"So, are you ready to have a one year old?" Mom asked, smiling. "It's hard to believe how old she's getting."

"God, I know," I sighed. "It's crazy that I've had her for almost ten months. Is all the party stuff ready? Bella and Charlie are coming around eleven tomorrow since she wants to help set up. We'll probably come over around then, too."

She nodded. "Sounds good. Bella said she's bringing the decorations and I'm making Sofia's cake and a bigger one. I think it'll be a good first birthday."

"Not that she'll remember it."

"But _you_ will, and that's really what it's about right now. I still remember yours." She smiled.

"Oh, yes, you were afraid of the candles," Dad laughed. "You screamed and cried until we blew them out."

"That was so adorable!" Mom said.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, whatever. I think we're going to go, all right?"

They stood up with me and Mom took Sofia while I went to put her bag in the car. By the time we had gotten home, it was starting to snow a little. When it snowed for the first time this year, Bella and I had taken Little One outside. She fucking _loved_ it and had tried to grab the snowflakes, so before going inside, I stood out there with her for a few minutes.

"It's snow, baby girl," I said as she watched it in fascination, trying to grab it once more. "Can you say snow?"

"S-oh," she said, smiling up at me. "S-oh!"

I laughed, kissing her cheek. "Perfect. You're so smart. You know that? Daddy's little genius."

We stayed outside for a few minutes and I took her over to where there was a little grass. I put her down, letting her play with the little bit on the ground. She smacked her mitten-covered hands over the grass, having a hell of a time as she giggled. After she had her fun, I took her inside before she got too cold.

. . . . .

The rest of the day went by quickly. Little One took her nap as I did some work, and then we made our usual video call to Bella as she ate. After bathing Sofia and putting her to bed, I called Bella back and we talked for a while. She and Mom had planned the entire party together over the phone, and she showed me a few of the decorations she had ordered.

"That's a lot of pink," I laughed.

"Of course!" she said. "We have a daughter, Edward, so everything is going to be pink. I'd have thought you'd be used to it by now."

I nodded. "Considering the fact that I have no issues with carrying around a pink car seat, I think I'm doing just fine."

"And you make it look so very manly," she giggled. "Hey, would you do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"I know she won't know the difference, but at midnight, can I call and you put the phone to her ear? I just . . . I want to wish her a happy birthday. I won't wake her up, but I just," she shrugged, "want to, you know?"

I smiled, nodding. "Of course."

After talking for a little longer as I enjoyed the fact that I got to see her, we got off of our laptops. I showered, and then took Little One's gifts down to the car — basically running since the monitor didn't reach that far. At midnight, I did what Bella asked and put my phone to Sofia's ear. She didn't wake up, but I understood why Bella wanted to do it.

I may not have been there when Little One was born, but it was still a special day. A year ago right now, I had no idea that my daughter was coming into the world. I liked to believe that if I had, I'd have been there. I wished I could have seen my daughter be born, but Kate had kept that from me. In the documents she had left with me was a photo — one of Little One's firsts. I pulled it out of my file and sat down on my bed with it, looking at my newborn daughter.

She was beautiful, wrinkles, blood, and all. She was so small and seemed to be pissed — couldn't really blame her for that. Still, she was beautiful, and I'd give anything to have been there — to have held her then. Instead, my first moments alone with my daughter were spent praying she wasn't mine. I really did hate myself for that. Of course this little girl was mine. In my heart, I knew it before that test said so.

She was my daughter, and now I thank God for her. I may not have had her for the first two months of her life, but now I'd have her forever.

Suddenly, I heard her starting to cry on the monitor. I put the picture on my nightstand and went across the hall to her nursery, finding her standing in her crib. "What's wrong, Little One?" I asked, picking her up. Of course then the smell hit me. "Oh, yeah, I'd be crying too if I were you."

After changing her diaper, I sat down in the rocking chair with her. "Happy birthday," I said, patting her back. "You have no clue what that means yet, but today is your day. You're going to have a party and get presents. You get cake, too."

I laughed softly, imagining the mess she'd probably make. She lifted her head and giggled, imitating me. "Dada," she said.

"Yeah, I'm your dada, and I love you so much. You're the best surprise I ever received, and I'm so glad I have you."

I pressed my lips to her forehead and rocked gently. Once she had fallen back to sleep, I kept her in my arms for a little bit before laying her back down and going to bed.

. . . . .

"Do you _really_ need a tutu?" I asked, dressing Little One in the outfit that Bella had come up with.

Jesus Christ, it was a white onesie with a pink one on it and a matching pink and green tutu. It seemed _way_ over the top, but I promised Bella she'd be in it, so I didn't have a choice. And, of course, there was a damn headband with a big ass flower on it. Seriously, the fucking thing took up half of her head, and she _didn't_ want to wear it.

"Fine," I said, giving up. "If Mommy wants it on you, she can put the fucking thing on."

I was so frustrated that I didn't catch myself. Thankfully, she chose not to repeat my slip up, and instead said, "Momma!"

"Yeah," I sighed. "Mommy's crazy because she thinks that Daddy can put this thing on you. How about just a regular bow, huh? I've kind of mastered that."

She gave me her signature toothy grin as I grabbed a pink bow off of the dresser. It matched . . . I think. Well, it'd be good enough. I'd gotten a _little_ better at putting them in her hair since it had gotten longer, but it still wasn't straight and probably never would be. I had to admit that she did look cute. Then again, my kid always did.

"Ready for your party?" I asked, picking her up. "Everyone that loves you is coming to help celebrate, which basically means you'll get to play with bows and wrapping again because we both know you won't actually care about the gifts." I laughed.

Once I had everything together, we left for my parents' house just after eleven. I knew Bella and Charlie were already there, helping set up. Everyone else was coming around one for the actual party. I didn't invite any of my coworkers, but a few had given me gifts for Little One. I already wrote down their names, so we could send thank you cards. Bella reminded me to do that, actually. I just figured the party would be just her family and a few friends of mine. Mom did invite Carmen — her friend that she owned her flower shop with — and her husband Eleazar, but that was pretty much it.

When I pulled up to the house, Bella was quick to come out of the door. She went straight to the backdoor to get Little One out of her car seat. She already had our daughter in her arms by the time I got out and kissed her.

"She looks so cute, Edward!" Bella said. "Thank you for dressing her. I'm guessing the headband didn't go over well?"

"God, no," I said, grabbing the diaper bag. "It's in here if you want to try it, but she pretty much hated it."

She kissed Sofia's cheek. "That's all right. The bow is adorable and almost straight," she laughed.

I grinned proudly. "I'm getting better, right?"

She patted my cheek, lifting up to kiss me again. "Amazingly, yes."

Once we got inside, I found the dining room to be a pink wonderland. Seriously, _everything_ was pink. They had streamers and other decorations all around, and then a banner with 'Happy Birthday, Sofia!' hanging on a wall that used to have a painting. There were already a few presents the table below the banner, so I went back to the car to grab ours. Yeah, the kid had a shitload of stuff to open, and this was just from, Mom, Dad, Charlie, Bella, and me.

My kid was spoiled, but she was also _very_ loved.

"Do you like it?" Mom asked, smiling.

I nodded. "Yeah, it's great." I put my arm around her, hugging her. "Thank you for doing this."

"You're welcome, but this was all Bella. She told me she wanted to make this special since neither of you were there when Sofia was born. Edward, she's truly that little girl's mother."

I smiled. "She is. I guess I should probably go see what exactly she's going with our little girl, huh? I hear squealing."

She laughed, nodding. "Good idea. I've got to get back in the kitchen. I love you."

"I love you, too."

I found Bella and Little One in the living room with Dad and Charlie. She had our daughter on the floor with a few stuffed animals as they played. Dad and Charlie had a basketball game on the television, but we're both watching Bella and Sofia instead.

"What do you have, baby girl?" I asked, sitting down with them. "Is that new?"

She was holding a pink rabbit, which I hadn't seen before.

"Dad went ahead and gave it to her," Bella said, smiling. "It was mine actually, and he wanted her to have it."

"Bella used to take good care of that thing," Charlie said. "It was one of the first things I bought for her, and she'd always hold it close, never letting anything happen to it."

"His name was Mr. Fluffington," Bella laughed. "Dad named it, not me."

I smirked, looking up at Charlie. "Nice name."

"I like to think so," he chuckled. "Figured since Bella's not using it, Sofia could have it. You know . . . a mother to daughter kind of thing."

I nodded. "Thank you."

"Isn't he soft, Sofia?" Bella asked as Little One cuddled the thing. "Can you say bunny?"

"Ba-nee," she repeated.

"She's so smart," Dad said.

Really, it was normal for any kid her age to try and repeat things, but I liked to believe Little One was smart, too. I mean, she was half me, after all.

Eventually, Bella went back into the kitchen to help Mom. I picked up Sofia and sat down on the couch with her. She _really_ needed to take a nap before the party, so Dad turned the television down some for me. She was content to hold her new bunny as I rubbed her back. Once she seemed to be getting close to sleep, I took her upstairs to the portable crib in one of the rooms and laid her down, bringing the monitor back downstairs

Thankfully, she stayed asleep for a while. Emmett and Rosalie arrived around one, followed by everyone else. Jasper and Alice had brought Jasper's mom, and then Carmen and Eleazar arrived last. They all brought a gift or two, adding to the ridiculous pile in the dining room.

Rosalie, Carmen, Mrs. Whitlock, and Alice joined Mom and Bella in the kitchen, and when I had gone in there to grab drinks, I heard them talking about Alice and Jasper's wedding. I hurried the fuck out of there, already bored from the flower discussion.

Right after handing out beers and water, I heard Little One on the monitor, so I went up to get her. When Emmett and Jasper saw her tutu, they both busted out laughing.

"Personally, I think Edward should have matched her, don't you, Jazz?" Emmett asked.

Jasper nodded. "Hell yeah. He'd look great in a tutu. I mean, he should probably get used to it. Girls like to dress up, right?"

"Dear god, I want to see that!" Emmett said. "You'd look gorgeous, Eddie."

I rolled my eyes, flipping him off. "I can't say it, but yeah. . . . Besides, this was all Bella, not me."

They nodded and Charlie smirked, saying, "Sure it was, Edward."

. . . . .

After eating, I put Little One in the high chair as Mom brought the small cake out. Everyone gathered around and watched, laughing as Little One's eyes grew once it was placed in front of her. I had to keep her hands away because of the candle, but she _wanted_ it. We sang her Happy Birthday, and then Bella and I helped her blow the one-shaped candle out. Once it was removed, I let Sofia's hands go and she was quick to slam them down in the pink frosting.

She squealed as Bella and Mom took pictures. I figured she'd put her hand in her mouth, but no. Without warning, she pressed her frosting-covered hand to my face, giggling in delight.

"Yeah," I said, taking a glob off. "Tastes good, so why don't you have some."

I covered her face in it, and her tongue was quickly on her lips, licking it off. She fucking loved it and put her hands back into the cake, trying to get it into her mouth. Most of it wound up all over her face and bib, though . . . and me. Apparently she wanted to feed me, too. Bella got some all over her, as well. It was a mess. A huge fucking mess, but my kid was happy, and that was all that mattered.

"Does Grandma make yummy cake?" I asked.

"Mmm eee! Mmm eee!" she squealed, playing with the cake.

"I'm really glad we don't have to eat that," Emmett laughed, shoving some of the bigger cake Mom made into his mouth.

"I somehow don't think she'll be done playing until there's nothing left," Bella said. "How much do you think she's actually eaten?"

I shrugged. "Not a lot."

"Mmm eee!" Sofia squealing again, holding her hand out to Bella. "Momma, mmm eee!"

"Oh, I know, sweetie," she laughed, letting her put some on her face. "So yummy."

Mom continued to take pictures until Sofia was done destroying the cake. After bathing her and cleaning myself up — finding the damn cake in my hair — we went back down stairs. I gave Little One to Bella and helped Mom and Rosalie clean up the mess that had been made.

"She's so cute, Edward," Rosalie said, helping me wipe down the table. "How does it feel?"

"What?" I asked.

"You know, to be a dad?"

I shrugged. "It just feels normal, I guess. And she is really fucking cute, isn't she?"

"Messy, but adorable. You're going to have to let Emmett and me take her for a night soon. We, uh . . . we're thinking of trying again."

Rosalie and Emmett had conceived Ben through in-vitro, and it wasn't easy. They had said they probably wouldn't have another, so this was a huge fucking shock.

My brow rose. "Really?"

She nodded, smiling. "We started saving again. I want another, and I know it might not happen, but I at least want to try. Mom and Dad know, but we haven't told anyone else, so don't tell Jasper, okay? If it doesn't happen . . . you know."

"Yeah, I'll keep my mouth shut, but I hope you do have another." I smiled. "I'm not babysitting, though."

She rolled her eyes. "You can't use that 'I don't like kids' excuse anymore, so yes you will."

I laughed. "I guess I can't, huh?"

. . . . .

Once the dining room was clean again, we brought Little One back in and started on gifts. She got clothes, toys, and more stuffed animals than I knew what to do with, but just like at Christmas, the bows and paper were her favorite things. By the time she was done, her sugar high had worn off and she looked like she was about to crash, so we wrapped the party up.

After saying goodbye to everyone — and prying Mrs. Whitlock's hands off of my kid, who was passed out in her arms — Bella and I cleaned everything up and put the gifts in the back of the SUV. Mom had taken Little One for us, holding her against her chest in the living room. After everything was done, we sat down with Dad, Mom, and Charlie again.

I thanked my parents for letting us have the party here, and of course thanked Bella for all she had done. My daughter was a year old, and she had made my life so much better in only ten months. I couldn't wait to see how else my life would change because of her.

She was a blessing, plain and simple.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34: Free to Love**

I didn't really know how to do this, to be honest. Little One's birthday had been over a month ago, and April was quickly approaching. I wanted to talk to Kate before then, but I just didn't know how. I felt like a phone call wasn't right, so the email I had typed up sure as hell wasn't either. How do you ask a woman if it's okay for someone else to be her child's mother?

According to my lawyer, Marcus — who had handled everything last year — I didn't have to notify Kate of shit. She had terminated her rights, even after being informed of all the ramifications. Still, I didn't feel _right_ doing that. She may not have been Little One's mother, but she did give birth to her. I just wanted to be sure she'd never cause any issues, especially once Sofia was older.

I wanted Bella to be able to adopt my daughter once we got married without fear that Kate could do something. My lawyer said the chances of Kate ever being awarded any kind of visitation rights were slim to none, but I didn't want to take that chance. I wanted to know without a doubt that Kate didn't want anything to do with Sofia, so I had to contact her.

I just didn't know how.

"Have you spent your entire lunch break in here?" Dad asked, coming into the doctor's lounge with a mug in his hand.

I scrubbed my hands over my face and sighed. "Yeah."

He pulled the chair out across from me and sat, creasing his brow. "What's going on?"

"I'm planning on asking Bella to marry me soon, but before I do, I want to know with absolute certainty that Kate can't cause issues with Bella adopting Sofia when we get married. Marcus says she can't."

He nodded. "Well, then that's your answer, isn't it?"

"Yes, but I also don't feel right about not telling Kate, you know? I mean, she _did_ give birth to Sofia. Someday, Sofia might have questions, and I want her to know that I didn't keep Kate from her. I will if Kate tries anything, but I'd rather not have to go through that."

"I'm afraid I'm not understanding what you want, son. Do you want to contact Kate?"

"Yes," I said, turning my laptop to him. "I wrote out a long ass email to her, but it seems kind of wrong to tell her this way, doesn't it?"

He scanned the screen as his eyes widened. "Well, I'd certainly be offended if someone emailed me legal precedence as to why I can't try to see my child."

"Yeah . . . that was actually a shitty idea now that I'm thinking about it."

He closed my laptop and sighed. "You could call her, I suppose, but if you really want to be sure she knows you're not messing around, it might be best to see her in person."

 _That_ was what I had been trying to avoid. It wasn't like I could fly to New York without telling Bella. I sure as hell wasn't going to lie to her, but I didn't want her to know _why_ I needed to be sure Kate wouldn't be an issue. It was like telling her I planned to propose not only marriage, but adoption. I mean, I was going to do that, but I wanted it to be a surprise.

"I can't go see her and not tell Bella," I said. "I just don't feel right doing that."

He nodded. "I can understand that. You know, she might want to see Kate, as well," he said and then continued as I cocked my head. "Bella's Sofia's mother in every way except blood, which is what Kate is. Maybe Bella would like this closure, too. Have to two spoken about Kate at all?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "Kate's out of our lives, so she's never really been a topic of discussion, but I think I see what you're saying. I just have to figure out how to tell her I want to talk to Kate without giving away my plans."

He stood, smiling as he walked over to pat my shoulder. "I'm sure you'll figure it out, or you could tell her that you want her to adopt Sofia someday, but leave out your exact plans. It's not like it'd be a complete surprise. I'm sure she thinks she'll adopt Sofia one day."

"True," I sighed. "Thanks for listening and the advice. I'm going to get back to work."

"Good idea. Just because you're about out of here doesn't mean you get to slack off now," he chuckled.

. . . . .

After my three scheduled procedures and catching up on paperwork, I left the hospital just after seven. I still had a month left here before starting at Forks, but we had just moved into our new home this past weekend. Thankfully, the closing didn't take too long. The owners had already moved, so they just wanted it off of their hands. Our paperwork went through without issues, so once we had the keys, we started painting and moving stuff in.

For the most part, the large house was pretty bare. Even after moving in all of the stuff that we had put in storage, we still had empty rooms. Mom was on that, though. She and Bella had spent a lot of time picking out furniture and designing shit. The kitchen and downstairs bathroom were going to be the first things we actually remodeled, but we weren't starting them until June. For now, everything worked pretty well.

I managed to pull into the garage just before eight, which fucking sucked. My time in the evening with Little One had been cut down because of this long ass commute, so I quickly rushed inside to find her and Bella. They were in the large living room, playing with the toys that were all over the floor.

When Little One noticed me, she quickly stood up and toddled over to me, almost losing her balance a few times. I picked her up, holding her close to my chest as I kissed her cheek. "Did you miss me, Sofia?" I asked, smiling as she gave me a sloppy kiss.

"Dada!" she squealed. "Dada oh-m."

Bella had stood up and walked over, so I lowered my head to kiss her. "Yes, Daddy's home," she said, smiling. "I just have to heat up your dinner, all right?"

I nodded, passing Little One back to her. "I'll go change. Love you."

"I love you, too."

"Luff!" Sofia said.

I chuckled, kissing her once more. "I love you too, baby girl."

After changing and eating, Bella, Sofia, and I got back on the floor until it was Little One's bath time. She made sure to show me all of her toys and stuffed animals, letting me hold them until she wanted them back. Once she started yawning, I took her upstairs for her bath, which ended up with me drenched and her giggling. I fucking hated not being able to spend as much time with her in the evenings, but I did cherish the time I had.

Once she was bathed, I brought her into her new nursery. It was a hell of a lot bigger than the one in my apartment, and Mom and Bella had taken the time to paint it. I thought there was enough pink before, but this was so much worse. I sat down with her in the rocking chair after dressing her. I held her against my chest, rubbing her back softly as she snuggled her head into my neck. She fell asleep quickly as I told her about my day.

"I guess I bore you, huh?" I whispered, kissing her forehead before standing up. I laid her down in the crib, tucking her stuffed bunny under her arm. "Sleep well, Little One. I love you."

After pulling the door closed and grabbing the monitor, I headed back downstairs to find Bella. She was on the couch, reading a book when I plopped down next to her, but marked her spot and put it down. She moved into my arms, titling her head so I could kiss her.

"How was your day?" she asked, resting her head against my shoulder.

I shrugged. "Fine, nothing too interesting. What about you?"

She smiled. "Well, your mom came over and we went over some more plans, and then we went over to Dad's house to check on him. He's all right, taking his medicine and exercising like he's supposed to."

"That's good."

She nodded. "Yep, and then Esme came back home with us and helped me put the curtains in our room up. Basically, it was just a normal day. I _really_ like having Sofia with me all day now, just so you know. When I go back to work, it's going to be so hard putting her back in daycare."

I kissed her forehead. "I know, but I guess having her around other kids is a good thing."

"True," she sighed.

After talking for a little while about Sofia and her job search — which hadn't yielded anything yet — I tried to figure out how to bring up Kate. It was fucking hard to figure out a way to ease into it, and I couldn't. I just had to come out with it.

"I want to talk to you about something, okay?" I asked as she looked up at me, cocking her head.

"Is everything all right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, yeah, it's nothing bad or anything. It's just . . . I've been thinking about Kate."

Her eyes widened. "Has she tried to contact you?"

"No, but I need to talk to her . . . in person. Before you say anything, let me tell you why, okay?"

"Okay," she said slowly.

I took a deep breath before continuing. "One day, I hope you'll adopt Sofia. I just want to be sure she won't cause any problems, you know? I need closure, I guess. I need her to know that she can't change her mind in a year or ten. Little One's _ours_ , but she did give birth to her. I don't want Kate to be a part of her life, and if she ever tried, I'd fight tooth and nail to prevent it. It's hard for me to explain _exactly_ why I need to talk to her, but I do. Do you understand at all?"

She blinked silently for a moment. "I'm Sofia's mom," she said. "You're right that Kate gave birth to her, but I don't want to share our daughter with her, Edward. What if she changes her mind after talking to you?"

"My lawyer says she pretty much can't. She knew what she was giving up when she terminated her rights."

"So why not leave it at that?"

I sighed, scrubbing my hand over my face. "I don't know exactly, Bella. It's just this part of me needs her to know that Little One is loved and taken care of, and that she can't change her mind. I want her to know that she _did_ make the right choice by giving her up. I feel like she's hanging over our heads, you know? This open thing that won't go away unless I do something about it. And Bella, if I go see her, I'd want you to come with, too."

"You'll bring me with you?"

I nodded. "Yeah, of course. That's why I'm telling you. I'd never do this without your permission. It's something we need to do together, don't you think?"

"Well, I would like to say something to her."

I held her close again, caressing her arm. "What's that?"

She looked up and smiled. "Thank you."

"So you'll come?"

"Yes." She nodded. "When do you want to do this?"

. . . . .

Bella and I decided to go to New York as soon as possible, so I scheduled the next weekend off and asked my parents to keep Little One. I had Kate's address from my lawyer, so we flew into New York on Friday evening, planning to go see her in the morning. After checking into our hotel in Manhattan, Bella and I got room service and talked more.

"What exactly are you going to say?" she asked, looking through the pictures of Little One we brought.

"Uh . . . well, I guess I'll start with that Sofia has a good life. I'll tell her about how we take care of her, and then what plans we have someday. If she tries to say no, I'll show her what the law says. I guess I just really want her to know that she made the right choice."

She smiled, nodding. "I think that's a good idea."

"There's always the chance she could slam the door in our face, though," I laughed. "If that happens, I guess we flew across the country for nothing."

"I don't know her, but she seemed like she wanted the best for Sofia. We're the best for her. You need closure, so maybe she does, too."

"Yeah, maybe," I said, picking up one picture from Little One's birthday. "I already miss her, you know."

"I do too, but we'll be home soon."

Since we had gotten in so late, Bella and I didn't stay up long. Well, we took full advantage of the fact we couldn't be interrupted, _then_ we went to bed. When we got up the next morning, we waited until ten to head to Kate's apartment. To be honest, I was _really_ fucking nervous.

What if this was a bad idea?

Did I really need closure?

What if Kate wasn't even here anymore?

When the cab stopped at the address, I was a little surprised to find she lived in such an expensive building and part of town. I knew she was a college student, so I guessed her parents were wealthy. After all, she had taken a semester off of school to have Sofia, found me, and flown across the country to give me my daughter, so she couldn't have been broke.

Bella's hand squeezed mine as I pressed the button with Kate's name on it. It took a few moments, but then her voice came over the speaker, "Yeah?"

Once again, Bella's hand tightened in mine. "It's Edward . . . Cullen. Edward Cullen," I said nervously.

"Oh," she said and I heard the door unlock. "Um . . . come on up."

Bella and I walked in and got on the elevator. I held her close and took a deep breath. "Should we really do this?" I asked.

"We came all this way, so there's no going back now, I guess," she said, looking up at me and smiling sympathetically. "It'll be okay."

I kissed her forehead. "Thank you for coming. I love you."

"I love you too, Edward. We're in this together."

Once the doors opened, we walked down the hallway to Kate's door. I was barely able to knock before the door opened. Kate looked . . . different from the last time I had seen her. She looked scared shitless, to be honest.

"Hi," I said as she looked between Bella and me.

"Hi, uh . . . come in," she said.

We followed her inside — Bella's hand squeezing mine tightly once more — and sat down on the couch. Kate sat across from us, fidgeting some.

"You didn't bring her," Kate said. "Is she . . . okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, Sofia's great. She's with my parents."

"Oh, good."

"This is Bella," I said. "She's my girlfriend."

Kate smiled a little, nodding. "I remember you. It's good to see you again."

"You too," Bella said before biting her lip.

I lifted my hand, rubbing the back of my neck as I decided to just . . . do it. There really wasn't an easy way to start this. "We came to tell you something," I said. "We haven't spoken since that night, so I just . . . I guess I want closure. I needed you to know you made the right choice."

"I know I did, Edward," she said. "I may be young, but I'm not an idiot. I didn't love her like she deserved, so I couldn't have given her a good life."

"How can you not love her?" Bella asked. "I'm sorry, but I just don't understand. I love her more than anything in the world, and I didn't even give birth to her."

"I want her to be happy, healthy, and taken care of, but that's all. It's not love I feel. It's taken me a while to accept that I can't love her and not feel like a horrible person because of that. If you've come here to make me feel that way, you both can leave."

"That's not why we came," I said quickly, diffusing any issues before they arose. "We came because I wanted to know without a doubt that you have no interest of ever being in Sofia's life. I don't want her to be ten years old and you show up on our doorstep. I want Sofia to have the mother she deserves, which is Bella."

"You're never going to tell her about me?"

I shook my head. "I'm not going to tell her what you did."

"I . . . I don't want you to tell her about me," she said softly, looking down at her lap. "I'm sure that sounds terrible, but I do care about her. If she knew I abandoned her because I didn't love her like I should, I can only imagine how much that'd hurt. I don't want her to interrupt my life, asking me why. Honestly, if I could forget about her, I would."

I suddenly felt rage. Honest to God _rage_. Kate hadn't actually changed. She wished she could forget about the most special and beautiful little girl in the world. She didn't want to feel like a horrible person, but in my eyes, she was one. Maybe I came here hoping she'd say she did love Sofia, but loved her enough to let her have a good life without her. She said she cared about Little One, but I doubted that. When she had opened the door, she was probably terrified that I had changed my mind.

"Well, you can forget about her," I said, clenching my jaw. "I just want you to know that Sofia is the most beautiful little girl in the world. She's so smart, too. _We_ love her, and I came here to make sure you knew that, in case you ever tried to change your mind. I'm happy to know you won't, but I'm also hurt for my daughter that you don't even want to remember her. I guess I got the answers I came for, so we're leaving."

I stood up, keeping Bella's hand in mine. We walked to the door before Kate said, "I'll never change my mind, so if Bella wants to adopt her, that's fine by me."

"Do you even want to see her?" Bella asked as I opened the door. She let my hand go and pulled one of the pictures from her purse.

"I'm not a horrible person," Kate said. "I am truly happy that she's loved because that's what I wanted when I came to Washington last year. If I could feel differently, I would. Edward, don't you think that maybe the reason I don't love her was so that Bella could? Maybe I was only meant to be a way for you two to have her, because _that's_ what was supposed to happen."

I stood there for a moment, letting that sink in. If it wasn't for Little One, I'd have never gotten to know Bella. Kate had to give Sofia up for that to happen, so maybe she was right. I was still hurt for Sofia, but . . . her words made sense.

"Thank you for giving us our daughter," I said, taking Bella's hand once more. She passed the picture to Kate before following me out, pulling her hand from mine and wrapping her arm around my torso.

The meeting certainly didn't go how I expected, but then again, I wasn't sure what to expect. I now knew that Kate wouldn't interfere in our lives, which was what I wanted. It just hurt me to know that one day, Sofia would ask about Kate, and I'd have to lie. I'd tell her that Kate loved her, but wanted her to have a better life. Kate didn't love her — she said so herself — but she _did_ want Little One to have a good life.

Bella and I would make sure of that. We'd give her more love than she could ever truly understand, we'd make sure she was healthy and taken care of, and we'd make her happy. I'd tell her that she was the reason I found her mommy, and I'd make sure she knew how precious she was to me.

"Are you okay?" Bella asked as we stood in the elevator.

I pressed my lips to the top of her head. "Yeah," I sighed. "Just . . . hurt for Little One."

"Well, I love her more than anything in the world and I always will. She'll have us."

I smiled some, nodding. "Yes, she will. You're a wonderful mother Bella — better than I ever could have hoped for my daughter . . . for _our_ daughter. Now, let's go home to her."


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35: Final Words**

There really wasn't a single moment when I looked at Bella and thought, "this is the woman I'm going to marry." It was every moment of every day. When I watched her feed, play, and rock Little One, held her in my arms, kissed her lips, made love to her . . . I knew because of those moments, not a single defining one. I couldn't picture _not_ sharing my life with her or raising my daughter alone.

She was always a part of it.

When I look back to a year ago, I see all the things I did wrong and how fucked up my life choices were — different girl every night, walking into work hung over as I clung to coffee, thinking life couldn't get any better. I was a fucking idiot. That wasn't who _I_ was meant to be. That wasn't happiness, even though I fooled myself into believing it was.

Happiness was right in front of me, sitting in the kitchen and eating breakfast. Happiness was the moments I shared with them. It was Little One throwing her food at me as she giggled, her calling me daddy and saying "love" in her fucking adorable way, and her smile when I came home at night. It was Bella laying her head against my chest as we talked about our day, her saying the simplest words that made me smile, watching her read to our daughter, and being there at the end of a hard day.

It was _love_.

I wasn't the same person I had been a year before. Sure, I still said "fuck" way too much and admired Bella's boobs just because I could, but I wasn't selfish anymore. It wasn't about me. It was about them, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

"I guess I should go, huh?" I asked, looking at my watch.

Bella smiled, nodding. "Are you ready for your last day?"

Honestly, I was. I'd miss working under my father with my best friend and brother-in-law, but it was time to start _my_ career. "Yeah, I'm ready. I wonder if cupcake nurse will have cupcakes for me." I smirked.

She narrowed her eyes. "Take her cupcakes and you won't be getting mine."

I chuckled as I stood from my seat, dropping my plate into the sink. I walked back over to her and Sofia, leaning down to kiss Bella first. "Yours are _much_ better."

"That's what I thought," she laughed. "Have a good day. I love you."

I kissed her softly once more. "I love you, too," I said before picking up a napkin to wipe Little One's cheek off. "Be good for Mommy, baby girl."

"Luff, Dada!" she giggled as I kissed her cheek over and over.

"Love you too, Little One. Bye-bye."

She waved her hand before pressing it to her lips, pushing it away quickly. "Bye-bye!"

Shit, she was just too fucking cute.

. . . . .

Even though this was the last time I'd be working at Olympic Medical Center, there was nothing different about my last day. Spare a few pats on the back and wishes of good luck, it was a normal day. I still had a job to do, just like everyone else. I really wasn't expecting much, considering I'd only been here for a year and a half, so I wasn't surprised.

After scrubbing out of my last scheduled surgery around one, I headed up to ortho to see Bree one last time. She had an appointment today with her surgeon. After her second surgery on her leg, she was finally released. I had kind of missed seeing her every day, but I was thankful she had finally been able to go home. Six weeks in the hospital was hell, especially considering she'd spent most of that time in the ICU.

"You're late," Bree said, coming out of Dr. Philips' office in front of her parents as she hobbled along with crutches under her arms. "You missed some _great_ news."

"Oh yeah?" I smiled.

She nodded. "No more surgery! The bone's finally healing right."

I lifted my hand for hers and she slapped it. "Hell yes! This calls for lunch. My treat, of course."

"You don't need to do that, Dr. Cullen," Mrs. Tanner said, smiling.

"Yes, he does," Bree said. "He's leaving and I'll never see him again. He owes me."

Once her parents agreed, I took Bree down the street as they ran their errands. Her recovery was going well, but since she still had a hard time getting around, her mom — a teacher, actually — had been homeschooling her. She fucking hated it and thanked me for giving her time away from her mom.

"They're really overbearing," Bree said, picking at her fries. "Any chance you can tell them to back the hell off?"

I laughed, shaking my head. "No, they get to be overbearing for now. If you were my kid, you wouldn't leave my side after what happened."

She huffed, rolling her eyes. "I didn't die! I swear, Edward, this is the first time I've been away from my mom since I came home from the hospital. Well, except therapy sessions, but those don't count."

"How's that going?" I asked, taking a sip of my drink.

She shrugged. "Okay, I guess. It's certainly not fun, you know? She, uh . . . diagnosed me with PTSD. I still have really bad nightmares and if I hear a car horn, I kind of flip my shit."

Unfortunately, this didn't surprise me. She had nightmares at the hospital, as well as other symptoms. She went through a traumatic experience, and it had fucked her up. But she was getting the help she needed, which was what mattered. It'd take time, but Bree was working on it.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I can only imagine how hard it is, but is it getting any better?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I think so. It's because of you, you know."

"Me?"

She smiled. "If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead. So, way to go on doing your job, doc."

I chuckled, putting my burger down. "Thanks."

We talked a little more about her and the progress she was making before she turned the conversation on me. Bree was more than a patient. She was important to me. Honestly, she made me a better doctor by showing me there was more to a patient than just fixing their injuries. She was a person — all of my patients were.

"So, this is the last time I'll see you?" Bree asked as I signed my name on the receipt.

"You have my email, right?" I asked. "We'll talk and when you do run again, I better fucking be invited."

She smiled. "Of course. You really think I will?"

I stood up, grabbing her crutches for her. "Yeah, I do. If you do the therapy and work like you need to, I have no doubt. You're strong, and I know you'll get through this."

"Thank you, Edward," she said as I hugged her quickly. "I'm glad you were my doctor."

"I'm glad I could help. Let's go see if you're parents are back."

After Bree left, I headed back to the hospital. To my surprise, there _was_ cake and a small goodbye party for me in the doctor's lounge. Mom had actually made the cake, so it was fucking delicious and I made sure to bring some home to Bella and Little One. After signing out of the computer for the last time, I said goodbye to Emmett and Jasper, and then headed to Dad's office.

He told me he was proud of me, and that I'd do great things at Forks. It wasn't a big gesture, but it meant a lot to me. Dad gave me this job, which brought me home where I found Bella. I may not have worked here long, but I'd always be thankful for the opportunity he gave me. And even more thankful he didn't just hand me my dream job. Someday, I'd earn it at Forks.

"Goodbye, son," Dad said, shaking my hand. "We'll see you next Sunday and I expect to see a ring on Bella's finger."

I laughed, nodding. "There will be, as long as she says yes."

. . . . .

Since I had a few days off, I took full advantage of spending as much time as possible with Bella and Little One. We spent the weekend together and went to the park one day since it wasn't freezing outside. It was just walking distance from our house and I had run the trail by it a few times already. Little One _loved_ the swings, squealing in delight as I pushed her a little.

"Dada, Dada!" she said, smiling at me as I picked her up. "Yay!"

I chuckled, kissing her cheek. "Was that fun, baby?"

"No!"

"Do you mean _yes_?"

She giggled. "No!"

Little One's love for the word no was getting to be annoying, but it was expected. Ask her anything, and she'd tell you no. My kid was now a toddler, and she seemed to be right on target with her age group — sometimes a little more advanced, actually. Between Bella and me, we made sure to teach her like we were supposed to. I wanted her to have a strong foundation to build on, and she seemed to pick up things quickly, which I loved.

"Is it lunch time, sweet girl?" Bella asked as we sat down on the blanket.

Little One just grinned, reaching out for the container Bella had in her hands.

"I think that's a yes," I said, taking it and putting it in front of Sofia.

She put her hand right into the container, eating the cut-up bites of grilled chicken with no problem. We had switched her over to normal foods a while ago, and the transition had been easy for the most part. Chicken was her favorite, by far. She was a little picky about certain vegetables, but if they were on her plate with the chicken, she'd usually eat them, too — like she was currently doing.

"So, what's Daddy making us for dinner, Sofia?" Bella asked, smirking a little.

"You think I'd tell her?" I laughed. "I know she'd blab."

Bella pretended to pout as I just continued to laugh. Tonight was the night. A year ago today, Kate left Sofia with me, which was the start of my relationship with Bella. It was an important day, so I felt like it was the perfect time to ask Bella to be my wife. I had planned it all out with Mom's help. From picking out the ring, deciding what to cook, and figuring out how to include Sofia, Mom was the biggest help. We had gone to Seattle a few weeks ago together, telling Bella she needed my help with some piece of antique furniture she had bought. She helped me find what I thought was the perfect ring. It wasn't big or extravagant, just a decent size diamond on a gold band. It was Bella, and I knew it the second I saw it.

After having it sized by swiping a ring that Bella already had, the jeweler sent it to the hospital a few days ago. While Bella was in the shower one night, I showed it to Little One — who, of course, wanted to eat it. It was sparkly, so she _wanted_ it. I had to pry it out of her chubby little fingers before she could put it in her mouth. I took that as a sign she liked it.

"Do you promise not to burn our new house down?" Bella asked, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Ha," I said, rolling my eyes. "I learned from the best, right?"

She laughed softly, nodding. "I like to think so."

"Then you have nothing to worry about. By the time you get back from your Dad's doctor's appointment, dinner will be on the table — fucking delicious and not at all burnt."

She leaned over, pressing her lips to mine. "I've loved having you home for the past few days."

"Me too." I smiled.

After lunch at the park, we'd headed back home so Little One could take her nap. Around three, Bella left to take Charlie to his cardiologist's appointment, giving me plenty of time to run to the store and start dinner. Little One sat in the cart, happily saying whatever she could as I grabbed the ingredients.

I planned to make the first thing Bella had taught me to cook — baked parmesan crusted chicken. I honestly didn't remember exactly how she made it because her boobs were much more interesting, but I found the recipe she used in her little box and figured it wouldn't be that hard.

That night was important. I sure as hell couldn't be pegged as the most romantic guy in the world, but it seemed like a romantic thing to do. She agreed to go out with me for the first time that night. Yeah, it wasn't _technically_ a date, but it was the start of our relationship. Mom thought it was sweet that I remembered it, so I figured Bella would, too.

"I think we have everything, Little One," I said, looking over the list. "Mommy's going to say yes tonight, right?"

"No!" she said, smiling.

I sighed. "Way to boost Daddy's confidence, baby."

. . . . .

When we got home, I set Little One up on the floor in the kitchen with some pots and spoons as I started dinner. Out of all the toys that kid had, these were her favorite — and they weren't even toys. She had her fun as I followed the recipe exactly, not wanting to fuck it up.

"Yeah, see?" I asked, looking down at Sofia after I put the chicken in the oven. "Daddy can cook too."

She banged the pot, laughing loudly at the sound it made.

"Is that fun?" I set the timer and then got down on the floor in front of her, picking up one of the wooden spoons. I hit the pot and she clapped. "Yeah, kind of fun. It goes bang. Can you say bang?"

"Baa-g, Dada!" She hit another pot with her bare hand. "Baa-g."

I did it again a few times. "Bang, bang, bang!"

"Baa-g!" she giggled, putting her hands on the floor and standing up. She picked up one the spoons, hitting the cabinet before I could stop her.

"Shit, no," I said, picking her up. "No hitting things, okay? Just the pots."

"Pa baa-g."

I lifted up her shirt, blowing a raspberry on her belly as she squealed. I kept doing it as she tried to wiggle away from me, giggling and saying my name. I had a good hand on her, of course, so she wasn't going anywhere. Once she stopped being happy and shrieked like she was getting annoyed, I took her upstairs to get her dressed.

When I told Mom I had wanted to involve Sofia in my proposal, she found a place that did custom made onesies and had a pink one printed for her. It said, "Will you marry my daddy?" I didn't have any other ideas, so I took Mom's suggestion and put Little One in it under a pair of pants and a little zip up jacket.

Yeah, it was probably corny as hell, but it involved Sofia, which was important to me. I thought about trying to get Little One to give Bella the ring, but she'd probably wind up eating it and I didn't like the idea of rushing our kid to the ER on the night I wanted to ask Bella to marry me.

Once she was bathed and dressed, I checked the timer on my phone to find the chicken would be done soon, and Bella would be home anytime. I put Little One back on the floor as I finished everything up, making the tomato sauce and green beans while the chicken finished.

"It doesn't smell burnt, so that's good," I said, opening the oven as Sofia watched me. "Fuck yes!"

Amazingly, I didn't burn it. After checking one breast's temperature to make sure it was done, I put mine and Bella's on a plate before cutting Little One's up and putting it in the fridge to cool off. I heard the garage open, so I rushed to get everything on the table and Sofia into her high chair.

"Oh, it smells amazing," Bella said, walking into the dining room. Her mouth fell open as she looked at the table and flowers I had put in the center. "You made baked parmesan chicken."

I nodded, closing the distance between us and lowering my lips to hers. "And I didn't burn the house down." I smirked.

She laughed, lifting up to kiss me once more. "Way to go."

"It just came out of the oven, so why don't you put your stuff away then we'll eat?"

She smiled, nodding. "Sounds perfect. You did great, Edward. I love you."

"I love you too, Nibbles," I teased as she blushed.

. . . . .

After Bella changed and came back down, I made sure Little One's chicken had cooled off enough before putting it in front of her. She ate the chicken and green beans, not throwing any of it, thankfully.

"This is amazing, Edward," Bella said, taking another bite.

"Yeah? I followed your recipe like I was supposed to and basically prayed it'd turn out right. I, uh . . . wanted to do something special for you."

She smiled. "It's very special."

"Do you know what today is?"

She nodded. "April fourth . . . a year since Sofia came into your life."

"And you came into it, too."

She looked down at her plate, then to the flowers, and then back up at me with a grin on her beautiful lips. "It's a _very_ important day," she said, putting her napkin over her cleared plate as I did the same.

"Yes, it is." I smirked, standing up to take our plates "Mind taking Little One's jacket? There's food all over it."

She glanced over at Sofia, who had sauce on her face and hands — like I knew she would. "Sure," she said.

I quickly went into the kitchen, dropping the plates into the sink before rushing back out as Bella cleaned off Little One's hands and face before going to her zipper. I pulled the box from my pocket, getting down on one knee as the writing came into view.

Her gasp would always be etched in my mind, as would the smile on her face when she turned her head to me, finding me with the box in my hands.

"You made me a better man, showed me how to care for my daughter, and loved me, even with my flaws," I said. "Without you, I don't know what I'd do. When I look toward the future, I can only see us together with our daughter. Nothing else makes sense. I love you, Bella Swan. I love everything about you. How nurturing you are, how kind, how you make me smile and laugh, and how you took a chance on me when you easily could have walked away. Will you marry me?"

She nodded, walking over to me as I stood and pulled the ring out. "Yes," she said softly, eyes on the ring as I slid it onto her finger. "Oh, yes."

There were tears in her gorgeous eyes, and it was obvious how happy she was. Her arms were around my neck with her lips against mine in an instant. I caressed her cheek as our lips moved together — barely parting to breathe.

"I have one more question," I said, smiling down at her as we parted. I let her go, walking over to pick Little One up out of the high chair. "Not only do I want you to marry me, but I want you to adopt Sofia. Right after we get married, I want her to be legally yours. We love you, Bella, don't we, baby girl?"

"Luff," Little One said, grinning from ear to ear. "Luff, Momma."

Bella wiped her tears, nodding. "Yes, of course I'll adopt her," she cried, taking Sofia from my arms and kissing her cheek. "I can't wait to marry you and be her real mom."

I leaned down, kissing her once more. "Thank you," I said. "See, Little One? I told you she'd say yes."

"No!" she giggled.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36: Fatherhood**

I opened my eyes, hearing Little One's squeals and Bella's beautiful laughter. If I _had_ to guess, I'd say the other sounds I heard were their footsteps, running quickly into the bedroom.

"Daddy! Momma gon' get meeeeeeee!" Sofia shrieked, suddenly on top of me and crawling under the covers as the air rushed out of my lungs.

I moved my legs, making sure I had put boxers back on last night. Good. Having my two and a half year old daughter see my junk wasn't on my to-do list today. No, today was a celebration. Little One was officially Bella's daughter in the eyes of the law. As of yesterday, the judge granted it and all the papers had been signed.

"I know you're in here," Bella sang, smiling as she came into the bedroom. "Is that lump on your chest moving?"

I shook my head. "Nope." I poked the lump on my chest and Little One giggled softly. "Just a pillow."

"Oh yeah? Last time I checked, pillows didn't giggle." She came closer, grabbing a handful of the blanket

I lifted it and Little One looked up at me, grinning. "The jig's up, baby," I laughed as Bella pulled it off, tickling her sides.

She continued to tickle our daughter as Sofia slid off of me and begged for my help. I decided to help Bella instead. You know, united front and all. Even though she told us to stop, Little One's squeals of delight showed she fucking loved this, and I did, too.

"Do I win?" Bella asked as I blew a raspberry on Sofia's belly.

"Pee!" she said, kicking her legs.

We both stopped and pulled away before she pissed on our bed. Our kid was smart, though, so she might have been faking it.

"Tell Momma she wins, Little One," I said, sitting her up in my lap.

She put her face in her hands, continuing to giggle as her red curls bounced while she shook her head. Yeah, red hair, green eyes . . . she was the spitting image of me. She was so fucking cute, and she knew it.

"O'tay!" she said as I softly tickled her sides again. "Momma, win!"

Bella leaned over, kissing her cheek over and over before picking her up and getting off of the bed. "I thought so," she laughed. "Now, let's go pee while Daddy gets dressed for our fun day at the beach!"

"Yay!"

I chuckled softly, listening to Sofia go on and on about the beach as Bella carried her out of our room. Though Little One didn't know the importance of what had happened yesterday, Bella and I did. Bella was not only my wife now, but also the mother of my child.

We had married a few months ago on April fourth — exactly a year after I had asked her to marry me — in a small ceremony here in Forks. Bella didn't want a big event, so we just invited our family and close friends. Honestly, I didn't care how big it was or where we married as long as she said yes by the end of the day. It was perfect and fucking hilarious, thanks to our daughter. I could still see Little One walking down the aisle in front of Bella, throwing the flower petals at people instead of on the floor.

"Go have Daddy help get your beach toys while I get dressed, okay?" Bella asked as she and Little One came back into the bedroom.

Little One ran to me, and I picked her up, tossing her a little as she squealed. "Are you excited for the beach?" I asked.

She nodded feverishly." Yeah! Pay sand?"

I kissed her cheek and nodded. "Yep, we're going to play in the sand, so let's go get your toys."

Bella closed the distance between us, wrapping her arm around me. I leaned down, kissing her softly. "Give me ten minutes, okay?" she asked. "We had pancakes earlier with _lots_ of syrup, so her sugar high is still in effect."

"Pancakes? Why didn't I get any?" I asked, looking at Sofia. "Did you eat them all?"

"You aseep, Daddy," she said in all seriousness. "Momma say no get dem."

I jutted my bottom lip out and she just patted my face, saying, "sowy." Of course Bella just laughed her ass off, but I seriously wanted Nibbles' pancakes. I had slept in this morning since I didn't get home until almost three last night. After Little One's adoption was granted, I got a call from Emmett, asking for my help at Olympic Medical Center. He had fully taken over for Dad this year — who had decided to work part-time at a free clinic while enjoying his retirement.

It was nice to still get to work in the bigger hospital sometimes, but I _really_ loved Forks. My hours were more regular, which meant I had more time to spend with my girls. Also, I realized my skills were needed much more here. In my first week alone, I saved an eight-year-old boy's life by performing emergency surgery. Surgery that wouldn't have been performed in time if they had tried to take him to Port Angeles. I had never thought small town medicine would be my calling, but it was.

It made me happier than I ever was in Port Angeles.

. . . . .

"What do you want to do first, Little One?" I asked, looking over to her as she held Bella's hand while I carried all of her shit down to the beach.

"Um . . . sand!" she said, grinning.

I nodded. "Sandcastle it is."

After getting our umbrella set up on the beach — because, amazingly, it was sunny — Bella helped Little One get her shorts and shirt off before lathering her up with sunscreen. Sofia was amused for a while, playing with the sand and — not really, but she thought she was — helping me build a sandcastle. It turned out to be just a lump that she wound up destroying while she giggled.

That was one of my favorite sounds in the world, and I'd do just about anything to hear it, which was why I surprised her by scooping her up into my arms. "How about a swim, Little One?"

"Yeah!" she said as Bella slid water wings on to her arms. "I yike simin'."

I kissed her cheek, and then we went to the shore. She stood with the waves just barely covering her knees, holding my hand as she played. It was so fucking cute to see her jump to try and miss the wave, and she went on and on about wanting to see the fish. I blamed Charlie for that, actually. Pornstache had corrupted my daughter into thinking fish were _cool_ , thanks to the boat trip she had taken with him and Bella a few weeks ago.

I made sure I was working on the day that was planned.

"She's having the time of her life," Bella said, smiling up at me as Little One sat down, so the water barely covered her legs when the waves came in. Splashing was one of her favorite things to do.

I nodded. "She is, and what about you?"

"Me? I _love_ this." She wrapped her arm around mine, leaning her head against my shoulder. "Every single day with her is a blessing, and I'm so thankful that she's _really_ mine now. You're amazing, Edward. I can't even begin to express how _much_ I love you and her."

I grinned, watching Little One freak out over finding a seashell. "And we love you."

"Is pwetty, Daddy!" Sofia said, holding it out for me.

I leaned down, smiling as I took it from her. "Yeah, it is pretty, just like you."

I didn't know what the future held, but as long as it included my gorgeous wife and beautiful daughter, I couldn't wait to find out. They were my life, and every day I spent with them was a blessing.

Fatherhood was the best thing that ever happened to me.


	37. Chapter 37

**Outtake One: First Momma**

 **Bella**

When Edward woke up at noon after his last night shift of the week, I was in the living room, looking up gift ideas for Sofia as I enjoyed the peace and quiet. Christmas was only three weeks away, and we had barely begun to shop.

"Little One was sucking her thumb," Edward said, sitting down beside me. "I pulled it out, but I think she's still pissed about weaning her off the pacifier."

I nodded, looking over and smiling. "I bet she looked cute, though."

"Fucking adorable," he laughed, lowering his lips to mine. "So, what's going on? I feel like I haven't seen you in days."

"You saw me this morning and yesterday evening," I said. "But I miss you, too. The play will be over soon, and then I'll have a little while off before school starts back up after Christmas. And speaking of which, we have got to go shopping for Sofia. I wrote up a list of ideas."

He chuckled as I turned my laptop to him, showing him the document. "Let's just buy everything. I want to give her every single thing she could want. I mean, it's her first Christmas, after all."

"Why do I have a feeling she's going to be one spoiled little daddy's girl?" I smirked.

"Because that's my goal. The daddy's girl part, I mean." He grinned.

The change from how Edward was when I met him to now was . . . astounding, actually. Sometimes, I wondered if this was even the same man. He went from whoring around to being a great man and father.

When I first saw him, I was . . . stunned. He was devastatingly handsome. Tall, lean, a little scruff on his face, and these _beautiful_ green eyes. He made my heart race . . . But then, I realized how he was, and his looks didn't seem so great anymore.

Sure, he was still beautiful, but his personality wasn't. He brought home a different girl every few nights. Sometimes she'd leave in the middle of the night — you know, after he had his fun — and sometimes I'd find them slipping out of his apartment as I left for work. Each woman was gorgeous — thin, long legs, and tiny dresses. He had a type all right. It was called _easy_.

But then, there was another woman. She looked like the others, but with one _very_ big difference. She had a baby. A little girl who, swear to God, was the most beautiful thing in the world. She captured my heart the first time I saw her.

I watched as he struggled — after all, he didn't even know how to change a diaper — I watched as he fell in love with the little girl, and I watched as he transformed into the man he was today. There were no more women in tight dresses, he eased up on his curse words, and he became a good man. It took him a while to admit his love for his daughter, but once he did, it was like a floodgate opened. He adored that little girl. The way he lit up was . . . it made him more gorgeous and breathtakingly handsome than ever before.

Fatherhood suited him.

He changed so drastically for his daughter . . . and for me. I couldn't deny that I had a crush on him in those first few months, but I never dreamed it'd turn into _this_. We were living together, and I was completely in love. It seemed to have happened so quickly — and trust me, I had questioned it in the beginning — but it seemed so right.

I never _really_ believed I could be this happy with someone. I wanted it, but wanting and believing we're two completely different things. He made me laugh like no one else could. Whether it was something he said or did, I would sometimes laugh so hard that my stomach hurt. And trust me, watching him figure out how to take care of Sofia in the beginning was the funniest thing in the world, but it was also the sweetest thing.

She changed him. Hell, she changed me. That little girl didn't realize it, but she was the cutest, most special girl in the world. And she was now _mine_. Not legally yet, but _he_ called me momma. He wanted his daughter to be mine, and that was the most precious gift I could have ever received.

Edward turned on a documentary and I got back to my list, but it wasn't long before I heard Sofia start to cry on the monitor. I quickly stopped him from getting up, wanting to get our little girl myself. She was at _such_ an adorable age, and I cherished each moment I could spend with her. When I walked into the nursery, I found her sitting up as she cried.

"Oh, sweet girl," I said, picking her up. "What's got you down? Is it diaper time?"

The smell confirmed my suspicion, so I laid her down on the table, latching the strap before changing her. I just cooed at her, smiling as her cries eased and she babbled. Once she was all done, I lifted her back up and kissed her cheek.

"I guess nap time's over, huh?" I asked. "Daddy's up, so let's go see him."

"Dada!" she squealed.

"Yep, I'm sure he wants his Little One, just as much as you want him," I laughed softly.

Her excitement for her daddy was so precious. He really was her world. When he'd come home from work, she'd crawl right to him. When he tickled her and kissed her over and over, her giggled was different, somehow. She _loved_ him, and I hoped she loved me, too. It seemed like it. She was always thrilled to see me when I picked her up from daycare, reaching out for me when one of the staff members brought her over. For the few hours in the afternoon that we were alone together, she was attached to me.

When I walked back into the living room, Edward looked up, smiling and holding arms out as I passed her to him.

"Hey, baby girl," he said. "Did you have a good nap?"

"I'm going to get her something to eat," I said, leaning down to kiss him.

"Thanks, Bella. I love you."

"I love you, too."

. . . . .

After getting Sofia her food, I heated up some leftovers from Thanksgiving for Edward and me. We had gone to his parents' house the other day for it, but had to leave early since Edward was working the night shift. His mom's turkey was amazing and huge, so we were still enjoying the leftovers.

"What do you want to do today?" Edward asked as I sat on the floor with Sofia.

"Not a thing," I laughed. "I think you deserve a day of rest."

He smiled, moving off of the couch to sit with us. Sofia crawled over to him and he pulled her into his lap. "Well, I think a day with you and Little One sounds pretty much perfect. Doesn't it, Sofia? I've missed you."

I watched, basically grinning as he kissed her cheek over and over while she giggled. It really was the sweetest thing to see. She had made him whole, I believed. He might have been happy before her, but I was positive that it was nothing compared to this. The same went for me. Every day I woke up, knowing I had an amazing man and daughter who loved me. The feeling was something I couldn't have understood just a few months ago, and I'd be forever thankful for it.

When Edward pulled the bag of soft blocks over, we arranged words and spoke them, trying to get her to repeat. She was more amused with picking them up and tossing them, though.

"Let's try momma," Edward said, spelling it out. "Can you say momma, Little One?"

She clapped her hands, giggling as she babbled nonsense. I now knew exactly how Edward had felt when he wanted her to say daddy. I _wanted_ her to at least attempt it, but the most we had gotten was ma, and she had been babbling that for some time now. It was a little disappointing that she didn't say it, but I tried to shake it off, knowing it'd happen soon.

Once it was obvious that Sofia was bored with her toys, we sat back down on the couch and turned on an animated Christmas movie. Honestly, these were my favorite. I just . . . liked them, even if I wasn't a kid anymore, but at least now I had Sofia to share them with. She was clearly fascinated by the TV, pointing to it and giggling for no reason.

Edward, on the other hand, looked like he could kill himself.

I nudged his shoulder and smiled. "This is your life from now on, so get used to it," I teased.

"I have no interest in a talking snowman," he laughed. "The two of you seem to like it, though."

"Of course! It's the magic of it, you know? I love Christmastime. We need to put a tree up soon, too."

He nodded. "How about tomorrow? I'm sure Sofia will love the lights."

"I can just picture her face!" I laughed softly. "It'll be adorable!"

As the movie continued to play, Edward and I decided to go get a tree and some more Christmas ornaments. I had a few, but only enough for a small tree. While he went to shower, Sofia and I finished the movie. Well, I finished it. She started her afternoon nap early in my arms.

Once Edward was finished, he took her from me so I could get ready. By the time we were able to leave, Sofia's nap was over and she clapped when he told her we were going bye-bye. It was then she repeated her newest word.

"Bye!" she said as I secured her into the car seat. "Bye, bye, bye!"

I laughed, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "Yes, sweet girl, we're going bye-bye."

She couldn't get enough of her new word and went on and on as we got into the SUV and drove to one of the tree lots. I kept looking into the mirror, seeing her smiling face through the other mirror in the backseat. She played with one of her small stuffed animals, waving it around until she had accidentally thrown in. Then the crying started.

I knew full well that Edward would _never_ let his daughter cry needlessly, so when he pulled into a gas station to get the small animal, I wasn't surprised in the least. I turned around, watching as he reached up under the back of my seat for the animal. Once she saw that Daddy had it in his hands, the cries eased.

"There you go, Little One," he said, kissing her forehead as she squeezed the stuffed animal to her chest.

"Dada," she said, all smiles once more.

After getting back in the car and driving to the tree lot, I put the carrier on my chest and Edward put her in it. Personally, I _loved_ the carrier, but he refused to wear it, opting to hold her instead. Since it was cold, he made sure her hat, gloves, and boots weren't going anywhere before we started through the lot.

Our apartment wasn't that large, so we made sure to only look at smaller trees. It didn't take us long to pick one, thankfully. Edward was rushing, wanting to get Sofia out of the cold air as quickly as he could. While he and the attendant strapped our small tree to the top of the SUV, I got into the car with Sofia and gave her a little water.

"We're going to have such a pretty tree, sweetie," I said, helping her hold the bottle. I didn't give her much, so she was done quickly. "There will be lights and shiny decorations that I just know you'll love."

She released the nipple from her mouth, smacking her lips together. I put the lid back on the bottle and stuffed it in her diaper back before leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"Mommy loves you," I said. "And you know what would be great? Having you call me mommy, even just trying would be amazing."

"Eee naa," she babbled. "Bye!"

I laughed, giving her another kiss. "Just hearing your voice is enough for now, I suppose."

. . . . .

After going to a few stores, finding enough ornaments and decorations for the tree, we headed home. Sofia was clearly pooped from our afternoon out and fell asleep once more in the car. When we got home, I had to help Edward get the tree down from the car. It may not have been very big, but it gave him a hell of a lot of trouble.

I was just glad Sofia was still in the car when profanities poured from his lips. His gloves were covered in sap, and I couldn't help but laugh when he swiped his hand over his face without thinking.

"Son of a bitch," he said, holding the tree up with one hand. "Next year, we're getting one of those fake ones, just so you know."

I nodded, laughing a little. "Sure, Edward."

"You're laughing at me," he said, cocking his head and narrowing his eyes at me.

I lifted my hand, squeezing my index finger and thumb close together. "Just a little."

Without warning, he rubbed his hand on the side of my face, causing me to jump away and stumble onto my ass. "Rude!" I said, picking up a snowball as he laughed at me. I threw it, missing him completely as he doubled over. After dusting myself off and gathering another ball in my hand, I made sure to get close enough and hit him in the face with it. The look was priceless, and before he could retaliate, I opened the backdoor and lifted Sofia's car seat out.

"Using our daughter for protection is just wrong," he said, smirking. "I will get you back."

"Well, you started it," I laughed, putting the diaper bag over my shoulder. "I'll meet you upstairs."

I walked away, leaving him with the tree. Once I got Sofia inside and into her crib to finish her nap, Edward was just coming inside with the tree. I quickly stopped him, making him leave it in the hall until I could get the stand down. By the time we got the tree in and the ropes off, the floor was a mess and so were we. But, it did look so nice. It was only four feet, but very full. I couldn't wait to decorate it.

"Do we have to wait until tomorrow?" I asked as he put the rest of the bags on the counter. "It's just so bare."

He chuckled and closed the distance between us, wrapping his arms around me. "If you want to do it tonight, we can."

I lifted up on my toes, pressing my lips to his. "Thank you," I said. "I'm going to shower and then start dinner. Spaghetti okay?"

He nodded. "Sounds fucking amazing."

He pressed his lips to mine again, caressing that spot behind my ear. Once we parted, I hurried into the shower and then started dinner. Sofia had woken up by the time I started cooking, so Edward got her and fed her, keeping me company in the kitchen.

"You were so good today, Little One," he said, lifting the spoon to her lips. "You only fussed in the car, so thanks."

"Of course she doesn't fuss around people," I said. "She loves the attention they give her."

She really did, and people loved her. Whenever we all went out together, we were always told how cute she was and today was no different. One of the shop owners even gave her some ribbon to play with, which she adored.

"You're way too much like daddy, baby girl," he laughed. "I have a bad feeling about what that'll mean when you're older. I'm going to have to make Charlie teach me how to shoot a gun, aren't I? No boy would try anything then."

I rolled my eyes, smiling. "I think you have a few years before you need to worry about that."

He looked up at me and shrugged. "I know teenage boys, so I'm preparing early."

Once dinner was done, so was Sofia. Edward kept her in the high chair, pulling it over to the table as we ate. When we finished, I cleaned up the kitchen as he started getting things out of bags. Sofia, ever the explorer, wanted to play with _everything_.

By the time I got in there to help him, he had given up trying to keep her from things and she was playing with the garland on the floor. Decorating our first tree together was fun, especially with Sofia's help. It took longer than it should have, but she had a good time with all the shiny things. I made sure to take plenty of pictures of her and Edward together because they were just _adorable_. Well, it was adorable until she decided the balls should be thrown. Luckily, they didn't shatter.

"Ready to see the lights, Little One," Edward said as I held her.

I kissed her cheek and turned off the lamp as he turned the tree on. The colored lights looked beautiful, and Sofia was in awe of it. Her little hand was out, wanting to touch, even though we were far enough away from it.

"Mommy picked out nice things, didn't she?" Edward said, wrapping his arm around me and kissing my cheek. "Tell Mommy it's pretty."

"Momma," she said, looking at him.

My heart felt like it had grown at her word, even if she wasn't looking at me. _She said it._ My breath caught in my throat as tears began to form in my eyes. It was such a simple word, but it meant more to me than I ever could have explained.

Edward smiled, titling her chin up to me. "This is Momma," he said.

"Momma!" she giggled.

I nodded, trying not to cry. "Yes, sweet girl," I said. "I'm your momma, and I love you so much."

Her hand reached out, pressing against my cheek as Edward said it again. She repeated him each time he had said it, and I had to have been the happiest woman in the world at that moment.

My daughter called me momma.


	38. Chapter 38

**Outtake Two: First Broken Bone**

"It's negative, isn't it?" I asked, leaning against the doorframe to the bathroom as Bella looked at the pregnancy test.

She nodded, ducking her head and wiping her cheeks with her free head. "I'm sorry."

She was only two days late, and I shouldn't have let her take the fucking test. We'd been trying for another baby for about six months now, but nothing out of the ordinary. We figured it'd happen easily, but it hadn't. Six months. Six times that Bella had been disappointed. Each time got harder and harder, but this time? She really believed it had happened.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," I said, walking over and kneeling down in front of her as she sat on the closed toilet. I took the test from her hands and tossed it in the trash can beside her. "Hey, it's just not the right time, okay? Eventually it will be."

"I know," she said softly. "Maybe if I don't start in a few days, I'll take another. What do you think?"

Honestly? I didn't think she was pregnant. If she were, this test should have shown it. They were pretty accurate now days — especially this kind. I didn't want to crush her hope, though, so I nodded and said, "Maybe wait until you get back home, but . . . if it's the same result, we'll just keep trying. I'm not opposed to the trying often part." I smirked.

Her lips curled into a slight smile as she nodded. "Of course you're not. I guess I'm just sad. I mean, I'm not that old. Why isn't it happening? Women get pregnant without even trying at my age!"

"Some do, but sometimes it takes time. I _promise_ that we won't give up. We'll have a baby someday when the time is right. Maybe it's just not right yet. Sofia's starting school in a few months, so that'll be a handful."

She sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry I'm so . . . emotional about this."

"Don't be," I said, smiling as I caressed her cheek. "We better get going, though. I'm surprised Sofia hasn't been banging down our door."

"I turned on cartoons for her," she laughed. "She's _very_ occupied."

"Of course she is."

. . . . .

Since it was spring break and school was out for the week, Bella wanted to take a workshop in Seattle that the school was paying for. It lasted three full days and honestly, I wasn't sure what the fuck it involved. It was something about kids with special needs and how to incorporate them into class. Apparently, there was going to be an autistic boy in her class next year, so she wanted to brush up on how to help him. After all, Forks didn't exactly have classes for special needs kids.

I'd had to go out of town for medical conferences before, but this was the first time Bella was the one leaving. Little One was kind of upset by it, but now she was better. Bella promised she'd call every night and they could Skype, too. Sofia still wasn't pleased, but she'd live with it. It was only a few days, after all.

"Wait, Mommy!" Little One said, running into the bedroom as Bella zipped up her suitcase. "You fogot Fluffinton." She held out the old, well-worn pink rabbit that Charlie had given her on her first birthday.

"Sweetheart, he's yours," Bella said, sitting down on the bed and taking the rabbit from her. "I didn't forget him."

"I want you to take him. He'll keep you safe, 'member?"

Bella smiled as she leaned down, helping Sofia climb up on the tall bed. She held the rabbit close as she kissed our daughter's forehead. "Are you sure you won't miss him too much?"

Sofia nodded. "Daddy will keep me safe while he's gone. Maybe I can talk to him on the 'puter, too? How many days until you come back?"

"She'll be back Wednesday night, Little One," I said, putting my hands under her arms and settling her on my hip. "We'll count down every day on the calendar, all right? It'll _fly_ by. After all, we're going to have a blast. No bed time, all the junk food in the world, and we don't even have to clean up your toys!"

I laughed as Bella looked at me, horrified by my words. I couldn't promise that we weren't ordering pizza every fucking night, but the house would most likely still be standing when she got home.

Hopefully.

"Yay!" Little One giggled. "You leaving now, Mommy?"

Bella sighed, nodding. "Yeah, I have to go pick up Auntie Alice first, so it's time."

She stood up, zipping up the suitcase before I passed her our kid. I grabbed her bags off of the bed, and then followed them downstairs to her car. Little One was obviously extremely helpful by putting Mr. Fluffington — also known as just Fluffinton — in her booster seat and buckling him up.

"Is he safe?" Bella asked and she nodded. "Okay, give Mommy kisses."

Other than a few tears from both of them, the goodbye wasn't too bad. When it was my turn, I held her tightly in my arms. The last time she'd gone away was when Charlie'd had his heart attack, so this fucking sucked for me, too. I wasn't even sure if I knew how to take care of myself anymore.

"I love you," I said, pressing my lips to hers. I made it last, kissing her deeply and savoring the moment. We'd had some pretty fucking incredible goodbye sex last night, but that wasn't all I'd miss this week. "Are you sure you still want to go after this morning?"

She smiled sadly, nodding. "I'm okay, Edward. Just . . . sad about it. We'll keep trying until it happens."

"Sounds good to me." I smirked, kissing her softly once more. "Call me when you get a chance, okay?"

"Of course. Take care of our girl for me. No surprise cats or dogs while I'm gone, got it?"

"Even her sad, begging eyes couldn't convince me of that," I laughed. "I love you, Nibbles."

"I love you, too. Both of you."

After another kiss for both Little One and I, she finally got into the car and pulled out of the driveway. We waved until she turned onto the main road, and then just stood there for a moment.

"Well, what do we do, baby girl?" I asked, wiping the stray tears from her cheeks.

She shrugged. "Call her?"

I chuckled. "Great idea."

I mean, it _had_ been at least a minute since she'd left.

. . . . .

Since Bella was out of town, I rescheduled all of my procedures and decided to stay home with Sofia. Little One and I spent Monday morning in my office so I could take care of some paperwork before I was _really_ off, and then headed to Port Angeles for a movie before going home. It actually wasn't so bad not having Bella around.

I mean, I missed her so fucking much, but . . . Sofia and I didn't spend a lot of time alone — not like this, at least. It was kind of reminiscent of her first few months when it was just the two of us, though she could talk now. And holy shit, did she love to talk. I didn't have my silent therapist anymore, let's just say.

"And they all lived happily ever after," I read, closing the book and looking down at Little One — who was still wide awake with me in her bed. "Not even a yawn, huh?"

"Can I watch TV?" she asked, smiling slyly. "Please?"

Bella would _probably_ kill me if I told her that I let Sofia watch TV at ten o'clock at night, but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. Plus, Little One usually zonked out if you turned all the lights out and kept the television down low.

"My bed?"

She nodded. "I can sleep wif you, too?"

"Sure," I chuckled, knowing this was _not_ a good idea. I stood up from the bed and picked her up before carrying her into my room. I tossed her onto the large bed as she giggled. "Mommy doesn't find out, all right?"

"I won't tell her! Pwomise!" she said, crawling up to the top and grabbing a pillow.

I took my eyes off of her a moment to turn the overhead light off and wound up with a pillow thrown at my back. Oh, fuck no. I turned my head around, smirking as she giggled and crawled under the covers.

"Pillow fight, huh?" I asked, picking it up off of the floor. "Hiding under the covers won't help if I can see your lump."

"I didn't do it!" she yelled. "It just happened! Magic pillow!"

"What? It's magic? Really?"

She poked her head out, nodding. "Yep. It flew _all_ by itself. Like in Aladdin."

"That was a carpet," I laughed, stalking toward her. "I'm not so sure this pillow is magic. I _think_ you threw it at me, which leads me to believe you want to start a war. And just so you know, Daddy doesn't lose wars. Ever."

She grabbed another pillow, tossing it toward me but missing completely. Her giggle was so fucking adorable, and though she probably should have been going to bed, I decided to have some fun with her. She fucking loved her version of wrestling with me. I always let her win, after all.

I climbed up on the bed, going straight for her lump under the covers where she'd tried to hide again and tickled her sides as she screamed, "Daddy!" over and over again. I let her up and she grabbed another pillow, hitting me softly in the side of the head.

I pretended to fall face first on the bed, letting her think she beat me for a moment before jumping up. She shrieked and giggled, bouncing away from me. I didn't realize how close she was to the side of the tall bed until she fell off of it.

Hard.

Her scream of pain was instantaneous, it seemed, and barely a moment passed before I yelled her name, jumping off of the bed to find her on the floor. She cradled her wrist to her chest, writhing in pain on her back.

"Daddy!" she screamed, the shrill going straight through my bones. "Daddy!"

"Oh, baby girl, I'm so sorry," I said, prying her good hand from the one cradled to her chest. She screamed louder, and the moment I saw the sickening deformity in her wrist, I knew exactly why. " _Fuck_."

I gathered her up in my arms, lifting her from the floor and laying her back on the ridiculously tall bed. The fucker was insane, but it was what Bella liked when she redid our room last year. I was ready to burn the son of a bitch.

"You're okay," I soothed, caressing her cheek. "It's all going to be okay."

My comfort didn't mean shit to her, of course. Her screams were just as loud as she went back to cradling her injured wrist to her chest. For the moment she was distracted by the pain, so I took the opportunity to run to the dresser and grab from phone from it, dialing the number to Forks' ER as I grabbed my emergency bag from the closet.

"Fork's Community Hospital emergency department, this is Chelsea," the voice answered on the first ring.

"Chelsea, it's Edward Cullen," I said, holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder as I dug through the bag, finding the elastic bandage I was looking for. "I need you to do me a favor."

"Of course. What's going on there? Is someone screaming?"

"My daughter fractured her wrist just now. We'll there soon, but I need you to call Dr. Embry Call for me, all right? He's an orthopedic surgeon in Port Angeles, but he has privileges."

"Um . . . yeah, I can do it. Do you need an ambulance?"

Once again, I pried Sofia's good hand from her wrist — making her scream even louder — and wrapped the bandage around it, stabilizing the fracture as best I could. "No, just call him. He'll probably give you shit about the time, but tell him it's for me. He'll come."

"Got it. Anything else?"

"Make sure radiology is free when we get there."

"Will do. I'll see you soon, Dr. Cullen."

Hanging up the phone, I slid it into my sweatpants' pocket and focused on Little One's wrist once more. Fuck, it was bad. It didn't break the skin, but it was obviously displaced. God damn it, I shouldn't have been playing with her on the bed.

Bella was going to _kill_ me.

. . . . .

Little One's screams had died down on the drive to the hospital, but her tears were still in full force, and I couldn't blame her one bit. I'd called Emmett during the drive, asking him to get Call here if he tried to deny the nurses request. Emmett _was_ the guy's boss, after all, and he swore he'd get Embry to Forks as soon as possible.

I put off calling Bella, knowing hearing Sofia's cries would just upset her even worse. She was four hours away, so it wasn't like there was anything she could do at the moment. I'd call her once Little One was doped up on drugs. Fucking shame I couldn't get any of that shit too, because my nerves were shot. I'd basically broken my kid's wrist.

The moment we got inside the ER, Chelsea was there to meet me, guiding us to an exam room. The small ER was basically empty — spare the town drunk sleeping it off in one of the beds.

"I have to put you down, baby girl," I said, laying her on the gurney as she gripped the hair at the nape of my neck tightly with her good hand. "The pain will be over soon. I promise."

"It huwts, Daddy," she cried, relinquishing her death grip on my hair. "It's huwts _sooooo_ bad!"

"Radiology is open," Dr. Garrett Nichols said, coming into the room right behind us.

He was a recent hire — our fourth dedicated ER doc. He was young, but seemed competent. I'd have _preferred_ one of the more experienced doctors be here tonight, though, beggars couldn't be choosers or some shit.

"She needs meds," I said. "It's displaced. Just give her intramuscular morphine, please?"

He nodded to Chelsea before stepping forward, telling her the dosage to get. Once she'd recorded Little One's vitals, she rushed out of the room as Garrett gently removed the bandage I'd put in my baby's wrist. She screamed — loudly. It was all I could do not to rip his head off for causing her more pain, but I knew it was necessary.

"How'd she do this?" he asked, examining the deformed bone producing upwards.

"She fell off of the bed. She was twisting when she went down, so she must've gotten her hand out as she hit the floor. She didn't lose consciousness and I felt for sore spots along her scalp before I put her in the car — I don't think she hit it."

He nodded, pulling his pen light from his pocket. "Let's just make sure. What's your name, sweetheart?"

"S-Sofia," she sniffled, gripping my hand tightly.

"That's pretty. Just look here, all right?"

He checked her eyes closely, confirming want I already knew — no head trauma. As he was finishing up, Chelsea rushed back into the room with the medication. The moment Little One saw the damn syringe in her hand, she started crying harder. Carefully, I slid my arm under her back, pulling her close to my chest to get a good grip on her. Thankfully, Chelsea was quick with the injection into her muscle, but not quick enough that my little one didn't notice it.

She screamed in my ear, almost bursting my ear drum as the needle pierced her skin.

"Shhh, it's all right," I whispered, kissing her temple. "It's all over now, baby girl. All the pain will be gone soon."

"Daddy," she cried, nuzzling her face against my neck. "Make it stop."

"It will soon. I promise. I'm so sorry. I love you, baby girl."

While we waited the few moments it took for the meds to take effect, Chelsea laid an ice pack on Sofia's wrist and elevated it on a pillow for her. Garrett had left the room, putting in the order for the x-rays and filling in her chart. It didn't take long for someone from admitting to come back, giving Little One her _first_ hospital ID bracelet. That was a first we could've done without, to say the least. The time she'd needed stitches as a baby had been _plenty_.

"There we go," I said, smiling sadly as Little One blinked slowly, feeling the morphine take effect. "It's getting better, right?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah, but . . . I tiwed."

"That's a good thing. We're going to take some pictures of your wrist, okay? You'll get to see your bones. That's cool, isn't it?"

It was fucking awful, actually.

"I guess so," she said, yawning widely. "I wanna Mommy."

"I'll call her soon."

"And a puppy," she mumbled.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Uh-huh, we'll talk about that later."

She wasn't getting a fucking puppy.

. . . . .

I stayed with Sofia, moving her wrist into position as the x-rays were being taken. The few times I'd had to step behind the shield were _horrible_. She called out for me and kept moving, messing up the image. Once we finally got the x-rays, I carried her myself back into the exam room.

She didn't fall asleep, but was pretty close to it a few times — the miracle of opiates. Once I got a look at the films, it was clear that she had a displaced distal radius fracture, which I already figured. She wouldn't need surgery, but she would for sure need a closed reduction to put the bone back in place. It was a common injury, but . . . that didn't make it any less terrifying.

Now, we just had to wait for Embry Call to get here to do it.

Sliding my phone out of my pocket, I hovered my finger over Bella's name until I just pressed it, knowing I had to get it over with. It rang and rang until her voicemail picked up, and I couldn't quite decide if it was a good thing that she slept like the dead and didn't hear it.

"Hey, Bella, it's me," I said to the machine. "I need you to give me a call when you get this. Don't freak out, but Sofia had an accident. She'll be _fine_. I swear to you. Just call me. We love you."

She'd freak out, and probably even more so since I told her not to. I figured I'd leave her a text too, so she'd see that first.

 **Call me when you wake up, please? It's urgent. Love you.**

"Mommy?" Little One asked in the _sweetest_ groggy voice. She blinked her eyes open again, focusing on me. "When Mommy hewe?"

"She'll come as soon as she can," I said, running my hand through her hair. "Why don't you get some rest, huh?"

"I feel . . . funny. Like, I don't know."

"I know." I smiled sadly. "That's just the medicines, though. Does it hurt?"

She shook her head, opening her eyes as wide as she could and blowing out a long breath. "Whoa."

"Just close your eyes, baby. You'll feel better soon and the doctor will be here to make your wrist better."

In fact, Call's ass needed to fucking hurry, but I figured telling her that wasn't a good idea. She nodded slowly, moving a little onto her side toward me and closing her eyes once more. We waited another half hour until Embry Call _finally_ fucking walked into the room. He was pretty decent orthopedic surgeon, and I knew he could handle a closed reduction easily.

"She asleep?" he asked softly, flipping open her chart."

I nodded. "Yeah, I got her to close her eyes. Thanks for coming down."

"No problem," he said, scanning over her chart. "Sorry it took me so long. So, closed reduction? I'm guessing you want her out?"

"Hell yes. I've already set things up with the anesthesiologist to put her under light sedation." I hit the button on Little One's remote, signaling for Chelsea to come back in. "Have you looked at her films?"

"I glanced at them, but I'll go take a closer look in a minute. I'll be gentle, but I need to examine her wrist."

Sighing, I nodded and squeezed Sofia's hand lightly as he moved the ice pack, inspecting the fracture closely. Once he was satisfied, he left to go look at her x-rays as Chelsea came back in. I asked her to alert the OR, and within ten minutes we were taking Little One upstairs.

She had an IV started and the monitors attached as she slept peacefully. I sat down beside her, holding her good hand as the anesthesiologist started the sedative to make sure she'd stay unconscious through the procedure — though the morphine seemed to be doing a pretty fucking good job of that.

Embry took his time, manipulating the bone back in place. He wasn't overly brutal, which I'd been worried about. Still, it fucking _sucked_ watching my baby's bone put back in place. Once he'd gotten an x-ray to confirm placement, he wrapped her wrist in a splint. She'd get an actual cast once the swelling went down some, and then more sets of x-rays as the bone healed to make sure it formed correctly.

"Do we have any pink tape?" I asked, glancing over at Paul, the anesthesiologist as Embry finished wrapping her wrist.

"Yeah, I've got some," Paul said, pulling it from his cart. "For the IV?"

"Yeah. She . . . she fucking loves pink. Hell, she'll probably be disappointed she won't have a pink cast yet."

"Give it to me," Embry said, laughing as he held his hand out. "I'll give her a few bands of pink on the splint. Not that it'll last long."

"Thanks, man." I smiled, nodding.

Once he'd finished with the splint, we moved Little One to recovery to wake up. It was like, fucking perfect timing that once she was settled, my phone started ringing in my pocket. Bella's face came up on my screen, and I sighed, answering it and putting it to my ear.

"Hey," I said.

"I didn't hear the phone!" she shrieked. "What happened? Is Sofia okay?"

"She's going to be fine. It's my fault, really. We were messing around on our bed. You know, a stupid fucking pillow fight. I scared her and she fell off of the bed. I'm so sorry, Bella. She fractured her wrist pretty badly, but they just finished setting it. We'll be going home once she wakes up."

"Oh my God! I-I'm on my way home now. I'll check out and there as soon as I can. God, I can't believe I didn't hear my phone!"

"It's okay."

"No, it's not! She's hurt. I shouldn't have come to this thing."

"It's my fault," I sighed, running my hand through my hair. "Fuck, Bella, I'm so sorry."

"You didn't mean for it to happen, Edward. Are you sure she's okay? What did they do for it? Does she need surgery?"

"No, they set it without surgery. She'll be in a cast for about six to eight weeks and be good as new by the time summer starts."

She let out a long breath. "Okay. I'll be there soon. Is she awake yet? Can I talk to her?"

"Uh . . ." I watched as Sofia hummed softly, moving a little. "She's out of it, but she might hear you. Hold on."

I put the phone to Little One's ear, keeping it there as her eyes blinked open slowly. "Momma?" she mumbled. "I . . . Mommy . . . seepy."

"It's okay, Little One," I whispered, caressing her cheek. "Tell Mommy that you love her."

"Luff, Mommy."

I smiled to myself, missing that 'luff'. After a few more moments, I put the phone back to my ear. "She's not quite awake, I guess."

"That's okay," Bella said, her voice cracking slightly. "Let me tell Alice and I'll be on my way, all right?"

"Why don't you wait until morning? That's a _long_ drive when you're half asleep, and I don't need you hurt, too."

"But she needs me."

"I've got her taken care of. Just get a few hours and then come home. I'll get her settled and I'm sure you'll be here early anyway."

She sighed. "I won't be able to sleep. I'll be _fine._ I'm coming home now."

Obviously, I wasn't winning this one. There was no way in hell I'd wait either, but I just worried about her driving in the middle of the night. "All right, but I want you to call me often. I'm so sorry."

"It wasn't your fault. She thinks she's invincible, so a broken bone was probably inevitable eventually. No rough housing on that bed anymore, got it?"

"Fuck that, we're getting a shorter one," I chuckled lowly. "I love you."

"I love you too, Edward. Give her kisses for me."

. . . . .

Once Sofia was a little more coherent and obviously didn't show any side effects from the sedative, we left the hospital just before three in the morning. She was still pretty loopy from the pain meds, but in otherwise good spirits. She _did_ ask about a pink cast pretty quickly. Shocking, I know.

"All right, I've got pillows on every side of you, so no falling off of this death trap, got it?" I asked, tucking the blankets around her small form in my bed.

"Uh-huh," she yawned. "Mommy gonna be home soon?"

I nodded, kicking my shoes off and climbing into bed next to her. "Yep, so let's get some sleep to make the time go by quickly. Are you comfortable?"

"Yup. I'm thiwsty, doh."

I smiled, grabbing the water bottle I'd thought ahead of and opened the lid for her. I tilted it to her lips, letting her have a few sips before she smacked her lips together, satisfied that her thirst had been quenched.

Stretching out beside her, I was careful of her left arm and watched as she fell asleep. Bella called a few times on her way home, so I never got to get any sleep. Not that I'd have been able to, though. I was too preoccupied with watching my baby girl, making sure she was okay. I could go the rest of my life without seeing my baby in so much pain again. In fact, I'd prefer it.

I added a fractured wrist to my mental list of most terrifying things I'd ever gone through, and I knew for a fact it wouldn't be last. I could try to protect her all I wanted, but Sofia would have bumps and falls again. At least I had the skills to take care of her through them.

And if Bella and I did ever have another baby, I'd just have to deal with it all over again. The fear was worth it, though. Just having this little girl in my life was worth all the grey hairs she'd wind up giving me.

All of them and so much more.

* * *

Thank you so much for reading and supporting this story! Sorry again about that dick move of pulling these. And I'm so sorry about your inbox overload. Mah bad.


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